Moving On
by The Unusual Suspect
Summary: Harry overhears a conversation between his two best friends which leaves him in tatters. He then happens to meet a certain Slytherin witch. *Story now restarted after a break*
1. An Unexpected Alliance

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. I wouldn't have ever written such a stupid epilogue.

**Summary:** Harry overhears a conversation between his two best friends which leaves him in tatters. He then happens to meet a certain Slytherin witch. This story will involve Ron and Ginny bashing. I don't think I'll be bashing Dumbledore in this one though. Unlike my other stories, Hermione will be a key character in this story. Do not expect too much action as my major focus will be on relationships. I've kept the initial pairing as HP/DG but that is subject to change.

Chapter 1

**An Unexpected Alliance**

Both Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger were seated on the couch in the Common Room as they waited for their friend Harry Potter to show up after another lesson with Albus Dumbledore.

Hermione was reading a book on Runes whereas Ron was fiddling with his chess set. After a little while, he looked at Hermione and blurted out,

"Hey Hermione, can I ask you something?"

She put aside the book she was reading, "Go ahead, Ron."

Ron was a little nervous when he spoke next, "Well, as you know me and Lavender aren't together anymore. I was… well I was wondering whether you would like to take her place or something."

"What do you mean by 'take her place', Ron?"

Ron responded, "Well, you know, you could be my girlfriend and we could snog and all that. I even shagged Lavender once and that was fun. Maybe we can try that too."

Hermione managed to somehow control her emotions after Ron's extremely distasteful proposal, "I don't think so, Ron. I'm sorry."

During her rather awkward rejection, both of them failed to notice that their raven haired friend, Harry Potter had entered the Common Room and was now listening in on their conversation.

Ron was stunned by her response. He had expected her to say yes and was looking forward to a snogging session on the couch, "Why the hell not? The whole year you have spent pining after me. You were jealous of me and Lavender. You also asked me to Slughorn's Christmas party and you also released those stupid birds on me when you thought I was making out with Lavender. You have finally got your chance now, so why don't you want to take it? "

Hermione chose to remain calm, and it was taking a lot internal struggle on her part to do so, "Yes, at the beginning of the year I had thought that your were potential boyfriend material. You were the only guy who was showing any interest in me, and I thought that we could give it a shot. However, based on what's transpired this year, I don't think we can be together in that way, Ron. It was foolish of me to think that I would ever be compatible with someone like you."

Ron was rather angry now, "It's because of Krum, isn't it? Ginny told me you snogged him. Did you shag him as well then? You don't think I would be 'compatible' enough in the sack?"

Hermione jumped up from the couch and it looked as if she was about to slap Ron, "What is wrong with you, Ron? I always knew you were mean, but I never expected you to say such hurtful things. I never even kissed Krum, you git!"

Harry had heard enough. He was about to interfere when he heard Ron say, "It's Harry then, isn't it? Even though he is with Ginny, you have your sights set on him, don't you?"

Harry realized that for some reason he found himself eagerly awaiting Hermione's response. He knew that he shouldn't be eavesdropping on his friend's conversation, but he couldn't help himself.

Hermione snapped, "Oh come off it, Ron. We both know that Ginny is with Harry just for the sake of his fame. That was pretty evident after we caught Ginny snogging Seamus in that broom closet. Everyone other than Harry knows that she really is a…"

"Don't talk about my sister like that!" Ron interrupted her before she could say the word. He then added "And that didn't answer my question. This is about Harry, isn't it?"

Hermione let out a small huff, "My relationship with Harry is none of your business, Ron!"

Ron felt another surge of jealousy as he spoke again, "I knew it! It's always about bloody Harry. He has everything that he wants. Money, fame, girls…"

Hermione interrupted him, "He also has a death sentence hanging over his head, you idiot. Girls may be willing to be with him for a short term, but do you really think any girl will get into a long term relationship with him once she knows the risks? The odds are stacked against him."

"Why should he care about long term? He still gets to snog and shag whoever he wants." replied Ron, proving yet again that he had the emotional range of a teaspoon.

Hermione had lost her patience now. "You're incorrigible!" she screamed before stomping away to her dormitory, leaving a confused Ron Weasley wondering about what she meant by 'incorrigible'.

Ron was unsure whether to be happy or to be sad. He was sad that he wouldn't be doing any snogging tonight. He was also happy that Hermione hadn't snogged Krum and didn't want to snog Harry either. In his confused state of mind, he decided that perhaps some food would help. He suddenly remembered a box of Chocolate Frogs that way lying in his trunk, and darted off to his dormitory.

Harry Potter was speechless. He was stunned after what he had heard.

Ron was still the same old jealous git that he used to be in the fourth year. He wasn't all that surprised by that. He also wasn't surprised to hear that Ginny had been snogging other boys. Their relationship was only a couple of weeks old, but the spark had already gone. Lately, he had found himself wondering why he had even started a relationship with Ginny in the first place.

The main reason for his shocked state of mind was the girl who had always been at his side for the last six years. Hermione thought that he was going to die at the hands of Voldemort. The one person who had accompanied him into every danger didn't believe that he was capable of crossing the final hurdle.

He was on the verge of tears, and he knew that he needed to sit down and evaluate what he had heard. He opened the portrait door and left the Common Room.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As he approached the shore of the Great Lake, he was a little surprised to see that someone was already seated there. As he went a little further, he saw that it was a girl who seemed to be crying with her head in her lap.

He had enough problems of his own to sort out, and thus decided to turn back and head to his dormitory. However, another deep sob made him stop in his tracks. Curiosity got the better of him, and he approached the girl and sat down next to her.

After a while, the girl lifted her head and stared straight at the lake. She hadn't yet realized that Harry was seated next to her. As Harry took a look at her, he recognized who she was. The girl who was crying was none other than Daphne Greengrass, the supposed 'Ice Princess' of Hogwarts. He wasn't sure about what had really got her that title but figured that it was something to do with her aloof and distant attitude. He had never really talked to her, but based on her reputation, he was more than a little surprised to see her crying.

He was lost in his thoughts when she spoke, "What are you doing here, Potter?"

He responded, "I have the same question for you, Greengrass. The last thing I expected was to find a witch sobbing near the Great Lake in the middle of the night."

"Just get lost, Potter." she snapped as she let out another sniff.

Harry was a little taken aback by the venom in her voice. He thought about leaving, but decided that it wouldn't be right. His 'saving people thing' didn't allow him to.

He tried again, "You know, if you want to talk about whatever it is that has you depressed, I'm right here."

She looked at him for a few moments while she pondered over his offer. Harry saw that behind the tears was an exceptionally beautiful face with bright blue eyes.

She responded, "No thanks, Potter. It would be best if you leave me alone."

Harry was surprised, but didn't let it show on his face, "Fine, have it your way," he retorted before getting up and heading towards the castle.

He had only taken a few steps, when he heard her voice, "Potter, wait…"

He turned around and quietly went and sat down next to her again. As soon as he sat down, she asked, "Why should I talk to you, Potter?"

Harry replied, "Because you want to," and then he added with a little bit of a grin, "Also because finding someone to talk to at this time of the night might be a tad bit difficult."

Harry thought he had heard her chuckle, but when he saw her face, it was still expressionless. She had stopped crying, but judging by her look it seemed as if she would break down again.

She spoke in a monotone, "I just got news that my parents are dead, Potter. The Dark Lord killed them."

For the second time that night, Harry Potter found himself to be speechless. He just stared at the girl whose tears had started to fall again. He soon composed himself and realized that he was supposed to comfort the crying girl. However, he was unsure of how to go about it.

He finally decided to express his condolences first, "I'm really sorry to hear that."

She continued sobbing and Harry started feeling extremely uneasy. He wondered what his next step should be. He knew that he needed to say something and asked, "Who was the one who gave you the news? You know, just in case if it may have been a false alarm."

Daphne didn't respond for some time as she was wiping off the tears from her face. When she was done with that, she replied in the same monotone, "It was our house elf, Sadie. She saw them get tortured and killed."

Before she could break down again, he gathered up his courage and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. She didn't resist and just gave in to his embrace. He had suffered the pain of being an orphan, and knew that this was the right thing to do. He didn't really know the girl well enough, but was certain that she would appreciate it.

They just sat still for a few moments, both of them gazing at the lake. Harry had a question on his mind, but he wasn't sure that whether it would be appropriate to ask, given the current circumstances. After giving it some thought, he decided to ask, "Why did he kill them? What had they done to offend him?"

"They refused to join him, Potter. My parents were always neutral in the war and had no intentions of choosing sides. The Dark Lord didn't like that. So he killed them." she replied.

Harry was surprised at the lack of emotions in her voice. It was evident that she still hadn't gotten over the initial shock. He decided to put forth a suggestion, "I think it would be best if I take you to Dumbledore. He will know what to do. You will get through this, Greengrass"

She responded, "No, I don't want anything to do with Dumbledore. I don't trust him."

Harry tried to convince her, but she wouldn't agree, "I got the news this evening, Potter, and since then I have given my current situation a lot of thought. The best option for me would be to see out the school year and then leave the country."

Harry argued, "Even if you run away, you will not be safe Greengrass. I am sure that Dumbledore will be able to find you a proper safe-house."

She snorted in response, "I hardly want to run away, Potter. The only reason that I'm leaving the country is so that I can train without any interference. I want to see the world of magic outside Britain. I want to learn so that when I do make a return to Britain I will be capable enough to avenge the death of my parents. I'll make the Dark Lord pay."

Harry had thought she was doing a runner and was quite surprised by the determination in her voice. He questioned, "And how do you plan on taking this revenge?"

"I'll train first and then I'll kill him."

Harry was again stunned by the simplicity of her statement. However, he didn't want her to fight a battle which he knew she'd already lost, "You can't do that, Greengrass. I'm sorry."

She snapped, "You're no one to tell me about what I can or can't do, Potter. I'll have you know that I'm a very capable witch. If I train hard enough, why can't I kill him?"

"Because I am the only one who can."

Daphne's head snapped up from its resting position on Harry's shoulder. He was still holding her and soon found himself staring into her blue eyes. Harry thought about whether he should tell her the prophecy, and decided that there was no reason not to. He recited,

_"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ..."_

It didn't take her long to figure out what the prophecy implied. She didn't cry and she didn't even show him any sympathy.

Her only response was, "So, you're actually the Chosen One?"

"Yes, for once the Daily Prophet got it spot on." said Harry with a fake laugh.

Daphne didn't respond while she mulled things over in her mind. Soon she was done, "I want to help."

Harry hesitated on hearing her offer. He knew that Dumbledore wouldn't be too pleased when he found that she knew the prophecy. With a little bit of uncertainty, he replied, "I'm sorry, Greengrass. I don't think you can. I'm getting some help from Dumbledore and I'll also have my other friends…"

Harry paused and then a pained expression came on his face. Daphne who had removed herself from his embrace was about to burst with anger on hearing his rejection. However, she noticed his expression and managed to calm down for a bit. It was clear that something was not right between Potter and his friends.

"You don't sound too convinced about your friends, Potter. Is there a problem?"

Harry was once again faced with a dilemma of how much to tell her. He was already uncomfortable with the idea that he had told the prophecy to someone who he didn't really know. He decided that he would keep his other problems to himself.

He spoke in a rather stiff voice, "No, nothing is wrong."

Daphne was quick to detect his lie. His voice was a dead giveaway, "Oh come off it, Potter. There is no point in being so secretive. If there is a problem, then let me know. I'll try my best to help you sort it out."

When he didn't respond, she continued, "You just comforted me in one of my weakest moments, Potter. The least I can do is help you with your problem and return the favor."

Harry found his resolve crumbling and then finally blurted out, "My supposed girlfriend is cheating on me. Ron is still a childish jealous prat and the person who I value more than anyone else, Hermione thinks that I'm going to die at the hands of Voldemort."

Daphne just said, "Tell me everything."

And Harry did just that, telling her about the conversation that he had overheard. He then told her about the behavior of his two best friends over the last year. Ron had decided to suck face with Lavender Brown and hardly had any time for him. As for Hermione, she had become bitter and distant in the last year, fighting with him over trivial matters such as Potions grades. Ever since he had told them the prophecy, they seemed to have distanced themselves from him. He should have seen it coming.

Daphne listened patiently and attentively. She had always thought of the male Weasley as a jealous, thoughtless prat. Granger's behavior was rather puzzling though. She was also surprised to hear about the female Weasley and her antics. She couldn't help but feel that both her and Harry had lost important people in their lives that day. Her parents were dead and that people who Harry regarded as his family no longer seemed to care for him.

When Harry finished, Daphne gave him a crushing hug. Harry's tale had melted the Ice Princess.

Once Harry had withdrawn from the hug, Daphne spoke up, "You know you can't fight this war alone, Potter. He is too strong."

Harry nodded his acceptance. After a few moments of deliberation he took a decision,

"I'll take all the help that I can get"

(A/N: So what did you think of the start? Where would you like the story to go? What is your preferred pairing?

I would love to know all this and more. Please do review!

I'm also giving the readers an option between shorter chapters with faster updates or longer chapters with slower updates. What's your choice?

As for my other story, "The Power Triangle", the next chapter is still in the works and should be up sooner rather than later.

Thanks for reading!)


	2. The Morning After

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. I wouldn't have ever written such a stupid epilogue.

**Summary:** Harry overhears a conversation between his two best friends which leaves him in tatters. He then happens to meet a certain Slytherin witch. This story will involve Ron and Ginny bashing. I don't think I'll be bashing Dumbledore in this one though. Unlike my other stories, Hermione will be a key character in this story. I've kept the initial pairing as HP/DG but that is subject to change.

Chapter 2

**The Morning After**

Harry Potter woke up with the sun shining in his face. He found himself lying on his back with the Great Lake in front of him. He wondered how he had ended up here and it didn't take long for him to get his bearings right. He remembered the conversation that he had overheard between his friends, and then the talk that he had with Daphne.

As he tried to sit up, he found himself unable to do so due to a load on his chest. He decided to prop himself up on his elbows and was rewarded with one of the most beautiful sights that he had ever seen.

He had always known that she was beautiful, but with the sun reflecting off her pale face and blonde hair she appeared to be almost ethereal.

He didn't exactly remember how they had ended up in this position, but assumed that their exhaustion may have been a prime reason.

He thought about waking her up, but a part of him just wanted to continue staring. However, he soon realized that if someone saw them like this then there would be hell to pay.

When he shook her arm she muttered, "Lemme sleep" and caught him even more tightly around his waist.

Harry found himself grinning and shook her once again, "Wake up, Greengrass." he whispered at the same time.

This time she did open her eyes. It took her a moment or two to realize that it wasn't really a pillow that she was holding on to.

She immediately removed her hands and sat up bolt straight. Harry was unable to keep the grin off his face after seeing her reaction,

"Good morning, Greengrass. Hope you slept well."

She didn't return his greeting. She instead chose to glare at him and asked, "How did we end up like that, Potter?"

Harry found himself smirking, "That's funny. I was going to ask you the same question, Greengrass. Looks like we both dozed off at the same time, eh?"

She thought about it for a few moments and agreed that he was probably right.

Harry had already decided on his next move. He spoke again in businesslike tone, "I would suggest that you freshen up and meet me outside Dumbledore's office after breakfast."

"I told you that I don't trust the old man, Potter. I don't want to meet him." she snapped.

Harry responded to her in a calm tone, "You said you wanted to help me with the war, Greengrass. Like it or not, Dumbledore is on our side. If your offer of help still stands, then I would expect to see you outside his office after breakfast."

With that Harry got up and walked away, leaving a rather furious Daphne Greengrass behind.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"_Elixir_" he said to the Fat Lady, and the portrait door swung open. He entered the common room with the intention of heading up to his dormitory.

However, he ran into the one person he had hoped to avoid that morning. He tried to move ahead without acknowledging her presence, but she stopped him, "Good Morning, Harry."

He turned and grunted out a greeting in response, "Morning, Hermione."

She took in his disheveled look and messy robes, and a look of concern came over her face. She asked, "What happened to you, Harry? Where have you been?"

His reply was short and to the point, "I was at the Great Lake."

She could sense that he was holding back on her, "What were you doing at the Great Lake so early in the morning?"

Then a look of comprehension dawned on her face she added, "Were you and Ginny…"

She didn't complete the sentence, but Harry understood her implication. He firmly responded, "No. It's not what you think."

He saw her breathe a sigh of relief before she asked again, "So, what were you doing at the Lake?"

He responded, "I was thinking."

He saw her frustration grow and she snapped, "Harry James Potter, stop being so cryptic and tell me what you were thinking about!"

He was enjoying this now, "Why do you care, Hermione?"

She was completely flustered now. Damn she looks cute when she is agitated, thought Harry.

His musings were interrupted by her reply, "Hello. I am one of your best friends, remember? We usually talk about this stuff."

He smirked, "Not anymore, we don't."

Hermione was worried now. She couldn't understand what had happened to him, "What's wrong, Harry?"

"Take some time off from the library to reflect over the past year, Hermione. You'll have your answer." said Harry before sidestepping her and heading off to his dormitory.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Daphne Greengrass was pacing about in her dormitory and she was absolutely livid. It was a good thing that her dorm mates had left for breakfast, or she would have hurt someone in her fit of rage.

All her anger was due to a certain raven haired boy. Who the hell did he think he was? How dare he order her around like that?

She had half a mind to not even turn up for the meeting with Dumbledore. If she did go, she would make it clear to him that she would help on her own terms or she wouldn't help at all.

"Damn you, Potter." was her last thought before she headed off for breakfast.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Harry Potter stepped into the bathroom, and hopped in for a shower. He needed to make it quick, so that he did not miss breakfast.

With the cold water pouring down on his head, he found himself thinking about the conversation that he had overheard last night.

As majority of his time last night had been spent in comforting Daphne, he hadn't really been able to take a decision regarding his supposed friends.

He knew that he needed to break it off with Ginny, and he would be doing so at the earliest possible opportunity. As for Ron, he decided that it would be best to ignore him. He was no longer an eleven year old boy, and Ronald Weasley had shown no signs of growing up. He was tired of his jealous streak, and didn't need someone like that as a friend.

The real puzzle for him though was Hermione. The whole year long she had acted like a jealous maniac, and yesterday she had even told Ron that she didn't expect Harry to survive the war. However, when he had seen her this morning, there was no mistaking the concerned look in her eyes. Try as hard as he could, he just didn't know what to do about Hermione Granger.

As he was about to step out of the shower, he remembered that he still hadn't found out what Malfoy was up to in the Room of Requirements.

Harry Potter realized that he had a lot many things to sort out in his life. He just hoped that the meeting with Dumbledore gave him the start that he wanted.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Due to the extremely long amount of time spent in the shower, Harry was too late for breakfast. He decided to head straight for Headmaster's office knowing that the talk he was going to have with him today was long overdue.

He hoped that Daphne hadn't changed her mind. However, he wouldn't really be bothered even if she didn't show. The only reason he had asked Daphne to tag along was so that Dumbledore could ensure her safety. If she didn't turn up, then it would be her loss.

As he approached the office, he realized that he need not have bothered about Daphne as she was already there waiting for him.

"You're late, Potter." she growled, not at all pleased with his tardiness.

He responded, "Sorry, took a long shower. I had a lot on my mind so I lost track of time."

Daphne's gaze softened a bit, "Very well. However, before we go in I need to have a talk with you."

Harry was about to give the password to the gargoyle; he stopped and then motioned for her to continue.

She said, "I need you to know that I do not appreciate it when people order me to do something that I don't want to do. If I am to help you get rid of the Dark Lord, then I need to know that I won't be treated as a minor. If we fight, then we both stand on equal footing, Potter. I need to know… "

Harry interrupted, "Whoa! Please stop and tell me where is all this coming from?"

Daphne replied, "In the morning you practically ordered me to come up here. If that wasn't enough, you then proceeded to threaten me. Now you are asking me where all this is coming from. How daft are you, Potter?"

"Hey, I resent that!" chided Harry.

"I hardly care." was her straightforward reply.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, before Harry spoke, "Ok, I admit I was out of line and for that I apologize. However, I insist that I only did it for your own good."

Daphne was pleased to hear his apology. However, she wasn't quite finished yet, "You could have just reasoned with me, Potter. Next time you ask me to do something, keep that in mind."

"So, there will be a next time?" asked Harry cheekily.

For the first time since he had seen her yesterday, he saw Daphne smile. She replied, "Yes. I guess there will be. For now, let's go and see the old man."

Harry grinned at her casual dismissal of Albus Dumbledore. He then turned towards the gargoyle and said,

"_Peppermint Toads_"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Albus Dumbledore was about to leave his office when one of his magical devices informed him about the gargoyle entrance sliding open.

He decided to wait before he left on his task, which was going to be a most unpleasant one.

To his surprise, Harry Potter was standing outside his office accompanied by Daphne Greengrass. Harry asked, "May we come in, Sir?"

Dumbledore welcomed them, "Ah, Mr. Potter and Miss Greengrass. Please come in. Have a seat."

They both sat on the plush chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk. After an awkward moment of silence Dumbledore spoke,

"Before you two tell me about the reason of your visit, I'm afraid to say that I have some rather bad news for Miss Greengrass. I was just on my way to meet her…"

Daphne interrupted him, "I already know about my parents, Headmaster."

Dumbledore was slightly taken aback by this revelation. However, he managed to maintain his composure and said, "Allow me to offer you my heartfelt condolences, Miss Greengrass. I knew your parents when they were here at Hogwarts. They were good people."

Dumbledore had been expecting Daphne to show more of a reaction, but she just sat there with a stoic posture and muttered a brief, "Thanks."

Seeing that Daphne wasn't going to be saying much more, Harry put forth a question that was on his mind, "Daphne just found out about it last night, Headmaster. How did you come to know of the news?"

Daphne broke out of her trance on hearing Harry's question. She asked, "That's a very valid question, Headmaster. From what my house elf told me, it was a hushed attack. How did you find out?"

Dumbledore responded, "I have my sources, Miss Greengrass. Mr. Potter here knows about them. I'm sorry but I can't tell you more than that."

Harry started fuming once he realized who Dumbledore was referring too. Before he could control himself, he shouted, "Snape! It was Snape, wasn't it?"

Dumbledore grimaced when he heard the venom in Harry's voice. He replied, "Yes, it was Professor Snape who gave me the information, Mr. Potter."

Harry shouted again, "I knew that Death Eater was good for nothing. Was he a part of the attack?"

Dumbledore hadn't been expecting this question. He still managed a reply, "I would prefer to keep that information to myself."

Harry was not in the mood to take 'no' for an answer, "Daphne's parents are dead, Headmaster. She has a right to know!"

Dumbledore wouldn't budge, "I'm sorry Mr. Potter, but it would be wrong on my part to disclose that information."

Harry had had enough. He composed himself and said, "Fair enough, Headmaster. We'll be taking our leave now."

Daphne who had not said anything for quite a while looked at Harry in shock. She had absolutely no idea where he was going with this.

Dumbledore chose to not respond to Harry's threat and turned his attention towards Daphne, "Miss Greengrass, you should stay. We think it would be appropriate to arrange a small funeral for your parents, and I was hoping we could discuss …"

Harry interrupted him, "It looks like you misunderstood me, Headmaster. We are leaving the school right now and then we'll be leaving the country before the day is out. As for the funeral, don't worry about it. We'll manage it on our own."

With that, Harry grabbed hold of Daphne's hand and pulled her towards the door. She was completely speechless after hearing Harry's proclamation, and thus was in no state to argue.

Dumbledore was unable to move. He was absolutely shocked by Harry's behavior and had no idea about what had bought it on.

However, he knew that he couldn't let the boy leave. His mind clicked into gear again, "Mr. Potter, what is going on?"

Harry seemed to be in no mood to listen. The old man had irked him one time too many.

Before Harry could step out, Dumbledore spoke again, "Mr. Potter, I will answer your question. Please Stop!"

"Bingo!" thought Harry as he stopped and turned around. Nothing worked better than the 'Answer my questions or I will run away' method. He had expected to use it later on in the conversation, but the story about Snape had given him a perfect opportunity.

Daphne was extremely pleased as they turned around and walked towards the Headmaster's desk. On hearing the Headmaster's pleas, she had figured out that Harry was just putting on a show in order to get Dumbledore to answer their questions.

As both Harry and Daphne took their seats again, Dumbledore spoke, "Thank you for listening, Harry. As for the answer to your question, Professor Snape was involved in the attack. He had to do so to keep up appearances."

Daphne was shell-shocked on hearing this. Her Head of House had been one of the bastards who had helped to kill her parents.

Harry's anger had come back in full force. He asked, "Was he the one who cast the Killing curse?"

Dumbledore responded, "No Mr. Potter, he was just a part of the backup team, in case anything went wrong."

Harry retorted, "So you knew about the attack, and yet you did nothing?"

"By the time Professor Snape told me about the attack, it was too late. I'm really very sorry." said Dumbledore with actual sincerity.

Daphne had been a quiet observer in the conversation. She didn't care if Snape had been the one to cast the killing curse or not. She didn't care if he was Dumbledore's trusted spy. According to her, all that mattered was that he had been a part of the group that had killed her parents. He would pay for it.

Dumbledore sensed the tension growing in the room. He thought that a change of topic would be the right thing. He stated, "So Miss Greengrass, about the funeral…"

Harry interrupted him, "I'm not quite finished with my questions, Headmaster."

Dumbledore responded, "I had agreed to answer one question, Mr. Potter. I think I have held up my end of the bargain."

Harry was furious, "Please don't be under the impression that you are the one holding the cards here, Headmaster. You know that you need me to end this war."

Dumbledore conceded, "Very well Mr. Potter, what else do you need to know?"

Harry stated, "I need full disclosure, Headmaster. I need to know all the information that you have related to Voldemort and his activities. I want to know all the information that can help me to end this war."

"I'm fine with your conditions, Mr. Potter. I shall answer all your questions to the best of my knowledge." agreed Dumbledore

Harry still wasn't sure about the old man sitting in front of him. The conversation that he had overheard between his friends last night had shattered any sense of belief that he had.

Thus, he had come up with a near foolproof plan, "Not so easy, Headmaster. You've told me plenty of white lies and half truths in the past. I don't think I can trust you anymore. I need a magical oath."

Dumbledore had not been expecting this. He remained silent for a few moments before asking, "Is that really necessary, Harry? Why are you doing all this?"

Harry replied, "I'll tell you my reasons for doing this if you agree to my conditions and take the oath. If you do not agree, then I will leave this godforsaken country and never come back again."

Dumbledore knew that he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He didn't really want to reveal his secrets, but Harry had left him with almost no other option. He also knew that if Harry did carry out his threat of leaving the country, then the entire magical world would be doomed.

Keeping all this in mind he stated, "I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore swear on my magic that I shall answer all the questions posed by Harry James Potter completely and to the best of my knowledge. So I say it, so mote be it."

(A/N: I was really amazed by the phenomenal response to the first chapter of this story. Thank you all.

If there is anything that you would like to see in this story then do drop me a line and I will try to incorporate it. I look forward to hearing what you have to say. Cheers!)


	3. Overdue Conversation

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. I wouldn't have ever written such a stupid epilogue.

**Summary:** Harry overhears a conversation between his two best friends which leaves him in tatters. He then happens to meet a certain Slytherin witch. This story will involve Ron and Ginny bashing. I don't think I'll be bashing Dumbledore in this one though. Unlike my other stories, Hermione will be a key character in this story. I've kept the initial pairing as HP/DG but that is subject to change.

Chapter 3

**Overdue Conversation**

Once he had taken the oath, Albus Dumbledore settled down in his chair and waited for Harry to start with the questions.

Harry began, "First, please tell me why you placed me with the Dursley's? You knew that it was an abusive environment. You knew that I would never be happy there. Why did you do it?"

Before answering, Dumbledore asked, "Are you sure that you want Miss Greengrass here while I answer your questions, Mr. Potter? You do know that we will be discussing some rather sensitive information."

Harry responded, "Greengrass is on our side, Headmaster. Like it or not, at present her need for revenge against Voldemort is even greater than mine. I'm sure that she will not betray my trust."

"If you want me to, then I'm even ready to swear a magical oath to the same effect, Potter." Daphne said. She was not at all happy that the Headmaster was alleging that she was not trustworthy.

Harry said, "No, as of now that won't be necessary, Greengrass." He then turned to the Headmaster and continued, "Well, please answer my question."

Dumbledore replied, "Very well, Mr. Potter. I have already informed you that the primary reason for me putting you with the Dursley's was the protection provided by your mother's blood. Blood wards are the strongest form of defense and even the strongest wizards are not able to break through them. There were a lot of Death Eaters around after the fall of Voldemort and they were intent on seeking revenge against you. I thought that by putting you at your relative's place, I was giving you the best form of protection."

Harry quickly asked, "What was the secondary reason, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore sighed, "I could have given you to one of the Light side's families and they would have happily taken you in and raised you like your old child. However, I didn't do so as any family would have pampered you and your upbringing would not have been normal. I knew that Voldemort would return and that you would face him again. I needed to ensure that you were suitably hardened and prepared for your destiny."

Harry was furious, "Did you even know about the abuse that I went through in that house? My uncle used to whip me with his belt since I was six years old. Not to mention all the other regular beatings that I received till I was eleven. I was treated worse than a Malfoy family house elf. Is that the way you wanted me to be suitably hardened, Headmaster?"

Daphne was looking at Harry in shock whereas Dumbledore wasn't able to meet his eyes and stammered out a reply, "No. I… I didn't know that they were going to that extent. I expected them to treat you like a normal boy. Now I understand that I was wrong. I can only apologize…"

"What about Mrs. Figg? Didn't she tell you about the Dursley's behavior?" Harry questioned.

Dumbledore replied in a remorseful tone, "Mrs. Figg did tell me that they didn't treat you nicely. However, I don't think even she was aware of the complete extent of your treatment. Even if she was, I wasn't informed about it. If I knew, then I would have certainly taken some action, Mr. Potter"

To Harry's surprise, Daphne was the one who put forth the next question for Dumbledore, "From what I have read about magical wills, parents are supposed to specify who takes custody of their child. Did the Potters specify the Dursley's?"

Dumbledore didn't have to reply as Daphne had asked the question. When Harry saw the consternation on his face, he said, "Please don't betray my trust again, Headmaster. Answer her question."

Dumbledore took a moment before responding, "No. The Potters had not specified the Dursley's as the people that Harry should go too. According to them he should have gone to Sirius Black. However, I was under the impression that Sirius was the Potter's Secret Keeper and he had betrayed them. So I overrode his parent's wishes and placed him with the Dursley's."

Harry was angry at first but then he realized that Dumbledore was right. At that time, nobody would have believed Sirius to be innocent. Still there was a part of him couldn't help but wonder how a childhood with Sirius would have been like.

Daphne had another question, "What about the Potter estates and properties? Who is looking after them now?"

Harry was naturally surprised. He turned to Daphne and asked, "What do you mean by Potter estates and properties?"

"Well, you are the only heir of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter. After the Black's they were the richest family in Britain. It's only logical to assume that they owned several estates and properties."

Harry gave her an incredulous look, before turning to Dumbledore, "What is she talking about? The only thing that my parent's left me was my vault in Gringotts!"

Dumbledore knew that Harry would find out about his wealth someday. However, he wasn't expecting that someday to be today. He responded, "No, Mr. Potter. As Miss Greengrass rightly pointed out, you are the sole heir of the Potter House. Other than your trust vault which you currently access, you also have three family vaults which you will be able to access when you come off age. At the same time, you will also earn the title Lord Potter. There are also several estates and properties, and the list of the same can be found at Gringotts."

Dumbledore then paused for a moment. As he had expected, Harry had a completely stunned look on his face. He then continued, "What many people don't know is that Sirius was the last of the Black's and even he named you as the sole recipient. So, for all intents and purposes by your 17th birthday you will be the richest wizard in Britain. You will also be able to take on the title of Lord Black if you wish."

Even Daphne was surprised when she heard that Harry was also the sole heir of the Black's. Harry was in no condition to say anything, so she asked Dumbledore, "Why did you hide this information from him, Headmaster?"

As soon as the property talk had started, Dumbledore knew that this question would pop up. He replied, "As I said before, I wanted him to have a normal life. I thought he was too young to handle such a huge inheritance. When he came of age, I would have told him about it."

Daphne spoke in an indignant voice, "That is because you would have had no option but to tell him, Headmaster. I'm pretty sure that Gringotts would have contacted him themselves."

Harry had finally found his voice, "You should've told me about this earlier, Headmaster. What gave you the right to hide my heritage from me?"

"I thought I was acting in your best interests, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Harry couldn't control his fury any longer, "You have been manipulating my life since my childhood, Headmaster. What am I to you? Am I just a weapon to defeat Voldemort? Don't I have a right to choose what I want to do with my life?"

"I believed myself to be your man through and through. Hell, I even refused Scrimgeour's help because I thought you would see me through till the end. How very wrong I was!"

Daphne saw that Harry had finally lost his temper, and she couldn't really blame him. However, she also knew that any rage induced step on his part could be very detrimental to their plans.

She turned to Dumbledore who was just staring at Harry with a morose face. She said, "If you don't mind, I would like to talk to Potter alone for some time."

Dumbledore nodded, and Daphne grabbed hold of Harry's hand and pulled him outside the office.

After they had stepped out of the gargoyle, Harry was still fuming, "The nerve of that old man…"

Daphne spoke in a calm tone, "Potter, I understand that you are going through a lot right now…"

"No, you don't understand. My parents died and that old man had been manipulating me ever since then. Nobody can understand what I'm going through right now." Harry raged.

"Yes I do understand, Potter. If you forgot, even I lost my parents yesterday and my life is just as shit as yours right now." She said in a chilly tone.

Harry's expression softened a little. He said, "I'm sorry. I should've known better."

Daphne relaxed and said, "It's okay, Potter. Now what I need you to do is calm down. I understand that you might not be in the best frame of mind, and I don't really blame you. However, the old man in there knows much more about Voldemort than us. You may hate him at the moment, but we need him if we are going to win this war. Do you understand?"

Harry was quiet for a few moments and then nodded. She continued, "Now, we should go in there and get all the information that we can. Do you think you are up for that?"

Harry nodded again and they both walked back into Dumbledore's office.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Dumbledore had been doing a lot of thinking since the two teens had left his office. He had seen Harry's reaction and he couldn't blame the boy for being angry with him. All the decisions that he had taken were in with the hope that Harry would be prepared to face his destiny, but in doing that he had sacrificed the boy's happiness.

He decided that it was time for him to make up for his past mistakes. He would try his level best to ensure that Harry got the happiness that he deserved. He then stared at his blackened hand and knew that he didn't have much time. He just hoped that Harry would give him a chance to redeem himself.

His musings were interrupted when Harry and Daphne re-entered the office. As soon as the two had sat back in the chairs, Dumbledore spoke,

"Mr. Potter, I admit that I was wrong on my fronts. I shouldn't have done a lot of the things that I did under the impression that I was building a better future for the Wizarding world. I completely ignored your well being Mr. Potter, and I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive an old man for the mistakes that he committed."

Daphne had always prided herself on being a good judge of people. One look at Dumbledore told her that he was genuinely sorry for his actions. However, she also knew that it was best for them to tread with caution.

Harry's response to the question posed by Dumbledore was brief and to the point, "I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive you, Headmaster. However, I am willing to work with you. Both of us are fighting on the same side, and if we fight amongst ourselves then Voldemort has already won this war."

Daphne was impressed by the maturity shown by Harry. She even proceeded to give him a small smile to show her appreciation.

She then asked Dumbledore, "So what is it going to be, Headmaster?"

"It is the best I can hope for. I apologize for my actions and will do everything in my power to help Mr. Potter win the war." Dumbledore replied with a little disappointment that Harry had not forgiven him.

It was then Harry who spoke, "Thank you, Headmaster. Let's brief Greengrass about the Horcruxes then, shall we?"

Dumbledore gave him a skeptical look which Harry noticed, "You advised me to trust my friends with the information, Headmaster. Well, she is my friend now."

Daphne wouldn't admit it, but she was touched by Harry's words. She listened intently as Harry filled her in about the pieces of Voldemort's soul, with occasional interruption from Dumbledore. She was disgusted by the time they were finished. However, she knew that they were dealing with a very evil and cruel man, so she wasn't really surprised that he had taken those steps to become immortal.

Once Harry had finished telling her about all the Horcruxes, Dumbledore turned to him and said, "As we are going for full disclosure, I feel that I need to tell you something about a particular theory of mine regarding a Horcrux. I had thought about keeping it to myself until later as I did not want to unnecessarily burden you…"

Harry interrupted him, "I want to know, Headmaster."

The sadness in Dumbledore's voice was evident as he spoke, "It is my belief that on the night Lord Voldemort tried to kill you a fragment of his soul was blasted apart and latched itself onto the only living soul left in that collapsed building. Part of him still lives inside you Mr. Potter and it is that which gives you the power of speech with snakes, and a connection with Voldemort's mind. And while that fragment of soul remains attached to you, I fear Voldemort cannot die."

Harry looked like he was about to faint. Daphne was in shock too, but managed to recover quickly, "Is that a theory or are you sure about it?"

"As of now it's just a theory, Miss Greengrass. I do fear that the theory is right, though." Dumbledore replied.

"So… after all this time and everything that I have gone though, the only way I can win is if I die?" Harry stuttered.

Daphne tried to calm him down, "It's just a theory, Potter."

"And even if the theory were true, I am certain that we will be able to find a solution." Dumbledore assured him.

Harry felt a little bit better by their assurances, but the idea of Voldemort's soul inside him made him sick.

He stood up from his chair and said, "I think I need to be alone for a while."

With that, he started to walk out of the office but stopped when he heard Daphne's commandeering voice, "There is nothing that can be gained by wallowing in self pity, Potter."

Harry responded with a harsh voice, "What else do you expect me to do? Rejoice about the fact that irrespective of how the war ends I am going to die?"

He then continued walking to the office door before he heard a voice behind him shout, "_Petrificus Totalus!_"

He found his body go stiff and fell down on the floor with a crash.

Dumbledore looked on in horror as he saw Daphne cast the body bind on Harry before getting up from her chair and going to him. There was grim determination in her eyes and she said,

"Now you listen to me and listen well, Potter. You're the focal point of this war and you need to be strong. You need to forget about the Horcrux which might possibly be in your head, and let the Headmaster come up with a solution. If he lets me, then even I will help him. This is the magical world, Potter. Nothing is impossible. We will not let you die!"

The conviction in Daphne's voice was so strong, that even the staunchest supporters of Voldemort would have believed that Harry Potter would survive. Dumbledore was impressed by the young woman standing in front of him.

Daphne then released the body bind on Harry but kept her wand pointed at him in case he still wanted to run away, "Are we in agreement, Potter?"

"Yes. You are right." Harry responded.

Daphne then helped him up and they returned to their chairs. When they sat down, Daphne could have sworn that she saw Dumbledore wink at her.

"So, is there any other life changing information, Headmaster?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore could sense the sarcasm in his voice. He calmly replied, "Not right now, no. However, I am working on a potential location for another one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. I believe that I am very close and will keep you updated."

Harry nodded and then said, "I also wanted to discuss with you about the safety of Greengrass here…"

"I think I can manage myself. Thank you, Potter." Daphne said in an irate voice.

However, Harry was not convinced, "I hardly think so. Your parents were killed yesterday, and it goes without saying that Voldemort will target you. With all our resident Death Nibblers in Slytherin, I don't think you will be safe there."

"This is a school, Mr. Potter. I'm certain that Professor Snape will be able to control the students of his House." Dumbledore remarked, not at all pleased with Harry's accusation.

Harry was incensed, "You mean the same Professor Snape who helps to kill the parents of his students?" he asked icily.

"That's hardly fair, Mr. Potter. You and I both know that he had no choice in the matter." Dumbledore protested.

"You always have a choice, Headmaster. If you remember, it was you who taught me that it's better to do what is right, than what is easy."

Dumbledore let out a resigned sigh. He knew that this was one battle he would not be able to win, "Very well, Mr. Potter. I agree to do it your way."

Harry was pleased that he had managed to get another one over the old man, "Thank you, Headmaster." he said.

There was a momentary silence which was broken by Dumbledore's attempt at changing the topic, "What about your sister, Miss Greengrass. I think you must have informed her?"

Harry was aware that Dumbledore had casually taken the discussion away from Snape. However, for the moment he decided to let it slip. They had more important things to discuss and a greasy haired professor was not at all a priority. He asked Daphne, "I didn't know that you had a sister, Greengrass. Which year is she in?"

Daphne replied, "Her name's Astoria and she is in the fourth year. And no, I haven't been able to work up the courage to tell her yet."

"I know it will be painful but you'll have to do inform her soon. Then I think we will need to arrange protection for her also." Harry stated.

"Protection won't be necessary, Potter. I can take care of her." Daphne said.

Harry was now getting angry due to her constant refusals, "I'm not willing to take that risk, Greengrass. You may be a smart and powerful witch, but you will not be able to hold your own if they attack both you and your sister in large numbers. You both will not stay in the Slytherin dorms any longer, and I won't take no for an answer."

Harry was expecting her to begin another tirade when to his surprise she just said, "Ok, what do you want me to do?"

Daphne hated the feeling of being dependant on someone, but she knew that Harry was right.

Harry turned to Dumbledore and asked, "Could they stay at Headquarters? There's only one month left for school to shut for the year. She won't be missing too much."

"Yes, I suppose that could be arranged. They could attend the funeral and then be escorted to Headquarters." Dumbledore replied.

Daphne was curious, "What is Headquarters?"

"It's a safe house in London. It's under the Fidelius Charm and you both will be safe there." Harry said.

Daphne was having none of it, "No. I will not leave the school premises. I want to help you Potter and I won't be able to do so from a safe house. I'm willing to send my sister to ensure her safety, but I won't go!"

There was an awkward moment of silence as both Harry and Dumbledore looked at each other, willing the other to speak.

An idea had been forming in Harry's mind, and if Daphne agreed then they would be able to kill two birds with one stone. They would be able to stop whatever it was that Malfoy was planning and also provide a safe place for Daphne.

He suggested, "I think I have an idea. You won't be able to attend classes, but you will be able to stay in the school premises."

Both Daphne and Dumbledore had questioning looks on their faces. Daphne was the one who asked, "And where would I be staying?"

Harry had a huge smile on his face as he responded, "The Room of Requirements!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hermione Granger was not in a good mood. She was frustrated as she had searched the entire castle for Harry Potter but she hadn't been able to find him anywhere.

She was currently seated on the couch of the Gryffindor Common Room waiting for him to turn up. She saw Ron Weasley giving her another dirty glare from across the room, and she ignored him.

She wanted to talk to Harry about the conversation that they had had early morning. She had been gutted when he had questioned their friendship, but she knew that she shouldn't have been surprised.

The prophecy and the very idea of him dying had scared her. She had evaluated all her options during the previous summer and had decided that she couldn't be as close to Harry Potter as she used to be. It was the logical thing to do, and Hermione Granger always followed logic.

Thus she had come to Hogwarts with the intention of reducing the level of her friendship with Harry Potter. However, things hadn't quite worked out as she had expected. Harry wasn't aware that she was trying to distance herself and he was nearly always around. As her plan wasn't working, she had become snappy and had even insulted him numerous times due to a stupid potions book.

However, her behavior didn't have much effect on Harry. He was still always there for her. Every time that Ron said or did something awful, he was there to comfort her. If she was disappointed about anything, he was there.

Now though it was clear that Harry Potter had realized what she was trying to do. Their talk in the morning had made that very clear.

Tears had welled up in her eyes when she had remembered that Harry Potter had always been there for her ever since the first year. He was her first real friend in the magical world. He had already saved her life a couple of times and he had always defended her whenever anyone tried to make fun of her.

Hermione Granger had taken a decision. She was going to dump her logic and go with what her heart wanted. She was now waiting for him so that she could apologize. She just hoped that he would be able to forgive her. She would do whatever it took for him to forgive her.

She had almost as good as lost Ron's friendship, and she found that didn't really care.

Harry's was a completely different story though. She just couldn't lose him. She wouldn't lose him.

(A/N: I guess the intentions of majority of the characters became clear in this chapter. What did you think of it?

Should Harry forgive Hermione? Will Harry's plan work? Is there anything else you would like to see in the story?

Let me know. You know that I love to hear from you!

An update for my other stories: I put up the 9th chapter of 'The Power Triangle' day before yesterday and an Alternate Ending + OMAKE for 'Dobby's Warning' yesterday.

Thanks for reading! )


	4. Requirements

Chapter 4

**Requirements**

Both Harry and Daphne had just exited Dumbledore's office and were standing outside the gargoyle entrance.

"So how do you want to go about this?" Daphne asked. "My stuff is still in the Slytherin dorm. I also need to inform my sister."

Harry responded, "Yeah. I was thinking about that and I think the best thing would be to get you out of those dorms as soon as possible."

Daphne wanted to argue that she could take care of herself for a few hours, but Harry didn't give her a chance as he continued with his plan, "So, I want you to wait here while I get a couple of things from my dorm. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Daphne asked sharply, "What do you want to get?"

"Oh, you'll soon find out," he said, before hurrying off in the direction of the Gryffindor Common Room.

He soon reached the portrait, gave the password and entered the Gryffindor Common Room. For the second time that day he found himself coming face to face with his supposed best female friend.

"Harry, I… I'm so glad to see you. I've been searching everywhere. Can we talk please?" She asked with an inscrutable expression on her face.

Harry was in a rush and he knew that this discussion might take a little long. So he tried to be as polite as he could and said, "No. I'm in a hurry."

He didn't even spare a glance towards Ron who was busy in a chess game. He proceeded to his dorms and was about to climb the stairs when Hermione spoke again, "Harry, please…"

Harry was a little irritated now. He walked back to her and spoke in a piercing tone, "I said I'm busy, Hermione. If you want to talk, we'll do so later."

With that, he strode off towards his dorm. Hermione stared at him as he walked away, and tears welled up in her eyes. Not wanting to embarrass herself in the Common Room, she ran to her own dormitory, flung herself down on her bed and began to cry.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

While waiting for Harry to return, Daphne found herself thinking of how drastically her life had changed over the last two days. She had been devastated on hearing about the death of her parents and had almost completely broken down. However, to her surprise she had been rescued from her rut from the most unlikely person. Harry Potter.

After spending some time with him, she had to admit to herself that Potter was not that bad a guy. He was indeed a little naïve, but it was clear that he was noble and brave as well.

If it hadn't been for him, then she would probably have left on some wild goose chase at the end of year, swearing revenge on someone whom she couldn't possibly harm. But now, she had convinced Potter to accept her help in his quest to destroy the Dark Lord. Her life had a clearly defined purpose now, and she would do everything she could to avenge the death of her parents.

Just as she was wondering about what Potter had gone to fetch, she saw him turning the corner to Dumbledore's office.

He walked towards where she was standing and said, "Sorry for the delay, Greengrass. I had a little run in with a friend."

"Weasley?" she asked.

"It was Hermione actually. She wanted to talk to me but I told her that it would have to wait until later." He replied.

Daphne just nodded and Harry continued, "Anyways, we have a lot to do so we better get started. First, we are going to go to the Slytherin common room. I'm going with you in case there is any trouble…"

Daphne interrupted him, "Don't be foolish, Potter. You can't possibly be thinking about going to the Slytherin common room."

Harry responded, "Unless and until there is any real trouble, I won't reveal myself. I'll be hidden under my invisibility cloak."

"You have an invisibility cloak?"

"Yes, indeed I do. Anyways, we shall enter and you'll pack up your belongings as fast as you can and shrink them so that they aren't noticed. Then you'll quickly locate your sister and ask her to come out with you. If everything goes well, we should be out of there in maximum twenty minutes."

She was clearly surprised that he had gone into such detail with the plan, "Is all of this necessary, Potter? You really think I'll be attacked in the Slytherin common room in the middle of the day?"

Harry was in no mood for any arguments, "Listen Greengrass, I know you consider yourself to be independent and very strong. For once in your life though, listen to what someone else has to stay. If there is a risk, I'm not willing to take chances…"

"Ok, ok, don't go all noble on me, Potter. I will do as you say. Let's go." Daphne said, clearly surprised by his determination to ensure her safety.

Harry quickly donned the invisibility cloak and then followed Daphne as she headed towards the Slytherin common room. It wasn't long before he found himself standing before the same door that he had last come across four years ago. Daphne quickly gave the password _("Supremacy")_ and the door slid open, allowing them access.

As Harry entered, he noticed that not much had changed from the last time that he had been in the room. It still had the greenish lamps and chairs, and there were skulls all around.

Thankfully, there weren't many students in the room and even those who were there were too engrossed in their own work, to pay heed to anyone else.

Daphne then climbed up the flight of stairs to her dorm, and Harry was about to follow until he remembered that it was highly likely that they would be charmed to repel boys. He decided to wait for Daphne to show up.

It was about five minutes later that the common room entrance slid open, and Draco Malfoy walked inside. He immediately walked over to where Crabbe and Goyle were seated and took a seat next to them.

Harry's interest was naturally piqued and as quietly as he could, he went and stood next to them.

He heard Draco say, "The task is almost completed. I'll just need a couple more days of your help.

"I am not going to become a girl again, Draco." Crabbe responded and then Goyle nodded to show that he agreed with him.

Draco was clearly furious at their refusal. He spoke in a menacing tone, "Listen you two morons, I have already told you that the Dark Lord needs this job to be done as soon as possible. If you two want to end up on his bad side, then go ahead and do whatever you want. Don't expect me to put in a good word for you either."

Crabbe and Goyle were both clearly intimidated by Draco's words. Goyle whimpered, "If… if we do like you say, will you help us get the mark like you, Draco?"

"That will depend on how well you two do the work you are supposed to. Meet me on the seventh floor at eight after dinner." Draco responded, pleased that he had managed to make the two idiots bow down to his wishes.

Harry was not really surprised by what he had overheard. His suspicion that Draco had become a Death Eater had just been proven correct. Draco had also been assigned some task by Voldemort, and there was no way that Harry was going to let him complete it.

However, as of now his priority was to get Daphne out of here and into the Room of Requirements. So he waited patiently, hoping that Draco will let slip a few details about his mission. The blonde Slytherin though didn't seem to be in a mood to talk anymore to his two lackeys, as he got up and moved to the couch on the other side of the room and began to read from his Potions text.

Sometime later, Harry saw Daphne coming down the stairs followed by another girl who was clearly her sister. The other girl was shorter than Daphne, but had the same blonde hair as her sister. Harry also noticed the tear tracks on the little girl's face, and assumed that Daphne had already broken the news about their parents to her.

Harry was about to follow the two girls out of the common room, when he saw them being intercepted by Malfoy.

"What's with the tears, little Greengrass? Did your sister give you some bad news?" Malfoy sneered.

Daphne didn't want to have a confrontation and tried to sidestep him and walk on, but Malfoy again blocked her path.

"Get out of the way, Malfoy!"

"I really don't think I will, Greengrass. You see, I have an offer for you. An offer which I am sure you will appreciate given your current circumstances."

Daphne snapped at him, "I have no intention of even listening to your offer, Malfoy, so appreciating it is another matter altogether. Now, move out of the way if you know what's good for you!"

Draco clearly had no intention of complying with Daphne's demand. He responded, "You really have no option other than accepting my offer, Greengrass. If you don't accept, then there might be some very unpleasant consequences."

By now Daphne was surreptitiously taking out her wand as Draco continued, "The offer is quite simple really. Accompany me to my dorm now, and if you are good enough… then I'll consider asking the Dark Lord to let you live."

Daphne was absolutely disgusted by his implication, and was about to curse him into oblivion when she was pushed out of the way by her irate sister.

Astoria pointed her wand at Malfoy and before he had a chance to say anything, she shouted, _"Bombarda!"_

The ones present in the common room watched in stunned silence as Malfoy hit the wall behind him with great force, and almost immediately passed out. Crabbe and Goyle thought about helping their leader, but they were dissuaded by the look of pure anger on Astoria Greengrass' face.

Harry couldn't stop grinning madly as he looked at Malfoy's limp body. He was undoubtedly impressed by the show of raw power from the younger Greengrass. His intention behind coming here was to protect the two girls from filth like Malfoy, but it was now clear to him that they didn't really need his help.

Daphne smiled proudly at her sister, took her arm and walked out of the Common Room with Harry in his invisibility cloak following closely behind.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Harry still had his cloak on as they headed towards the seventh floor. He planned to take it off once they were safely inside the Room of Requirements.

He quickly took out the Marauder's Map that he had got from his dorm, and was pleased to see that there was no one on the seventh floor.

He looked up to see Daphne looking around for him while Astoria had a confused look on her face.

He started pacing in front of the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy. He had already decided that he would ask for a replica of the Gryffindor Dorms, as that would almost certainly eliminate the possibility of Malfoy finding out what the room was being used for.

As soon as he had completed his third round, he was pleased to see a door materialize in the wall. He looked at Daphne and was pleased to see her eyes wide open in surprise, while Astoria was also no different.

Harry waited for both the girls to enter the room, before he followed. As he had expected, the room was an exact replica of his dorm.

After a few moments, Daphne spoke, "You can take the cloak off now, Potter."

Harry had been busy examining and had completely forgotten about the cloak. He quickly took it off, and walked towards the Greengrass sisters. It was clear the Daphne had even told Astoria about Harry, as the younger Greengrass was not surprised to see him.

"Great work with Malfoy, Astoria. I must say that I was very impressed." Harry beamed.

Astoria didn't respond. She just walked past him, curled up on one of the beds and began to cry.

Harry realized that he had acted like a complete fool. The girl had just heard of her parents' death, and compliments about her attack on Malfoy weren't really going to help her.

He shot an apologetic look towards Daphne, who then walked up to him and said, "I'll take care of her, Potter. Are you sure that we're safe here?"

"Yes," he replied. "The only ones who can open this room will be the ones who ask for a Gryffindor dorm; something which is not really likely to happen."

"Why did you ask for the Gryffindor dorm?"

He hesitated a little before replying, "Well, I thought you would be comfortable in a dorm as you use it for the whole year in school. As I haven't seen your dorm, this was the only option that I could think of."

Daphne couldn't help but smile when she heard his reasoning. From what she had seen of him, she should have expected a reason like this.

"Very well, Potter. Now, if you could leave us alone for a little while then that would be great. I really need to talk to Astoria, and I need to do so alone. Will that be fine?"

"Sure," Harry agreed. "I'll go to Dumbledore's office and get details about the funeral. We'll figure out a way to get you there and then I'll let you know."

Harry thought about telling her about Draco, but decided that it could wait until later.

"Thanks," Daphne said with a grateful smile. "You've really helped me a lot here, Potter. I just want you to know that I'll do everything in my power to help you."

"You don't need to…" He began, before he was cut off by Daphne.

"What I need to do or not is my decision to take, Potter." She said as her smile turned into a glare.

Harry just smiled and didn't say anything in response. He was slowly becoming accustomed to the fiery Slytherin. He walked towards the door, took out the Marauder's Map and once he saw that the coast was clear, he exited the room.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"I refuse to budge on this topic, Headmaster. Snape will not be one of the people accompanying the Greengrass sisters to the funeral." Harry could not believe that Dumbledore had even suggested such a ridiculous idea.

"I implore you to see reason, Mr. Potter. He's their Head of House and he'll just be fulfilling his duty to the school. I know that he's not your favorite person, but I can assure you once again that I have full faith in him." Dumbledore pleaded as he tried to reason with him.

Harry was enraged that this was even a topic of discussion. However, he maintained his calm, "This is non-negotiable, Headmaster. Either you ensure that proper arrangements or you'll leave me with no choice…"

He was cut off by Dumbledore, "I know what you're going to say, Mr. Potter. I'll accept your demands right now. However, I must state my extreme displeasure at you resorting to blackmail again and again in order to have your demands met. I was under the assumption that we'd reached an understanding and would be working together, and not via threats."

"Just because we're working together does not mean that I will agree with such ridiculous suggestions, Headmaster." Harry stated in a no-nonsense voice.

"You leave me with no choice in the matter, Mr. Potter. I'll arrange for Auror Tonks to accompany the sisters to the funeral." Dumbledore then handed Harry a quill before continuing, "The quill is a portkey to the location of the funeral. It will activate at six in the evening."

Harry took the quill and pocketed it before Dumbledore spoke again, "I must however insist that you do not attend the funeral yourself, Mr. Potter. It's too much of a risk"

"I can take care of myself, Professor. You do not…"

He was interrupted by Dumbledore's firm tone, "This is not only about you, Mr. Potter. If word got out of your presence at the funeral, it will seriously endanger the Greengrass sisters as well. Also, I'm sure that you'd agree with me that it would be better if we kept your association with the Greengrass' a secret for now."

Harry thought about arguing but decided that the Headmaster was making a valid point. He accepted the Headmaster's decision.

Harry then proceeded to tell the Headmaster about his theory about Draco Malfoy and the conversation that he'd overheard which confirmed that Draco had the mark.

"I have known of young Draco being marked since the summer, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore said calmly. He then told Harry about how Draco had been given the task to kill Dumbledore himself. He even stated how he had asked Professor Snape to look into the matter.

Harry sat in stunned silence as he felt his temper rising. Once Dumbledore had stopped speaking, he nearly shouted, "Are you insane, Professor? Letting a Death Eater into the school! And that too one who's been tasked with killing the Headmaster? Are you out of your mind?"

Dumbledore had been expecting this reaction. He maintained him calm demeanor, "Mr. Potter, I have this situation under control. I'm sure that Professor Snape will make the boy see the error of his ways. I would appreciate it if you did not interfere in this matter."

Harry's tone got louder, "Do not interfere? Should I just stand by and watch while you allow a Death Eater to run around the school. He should be expelled and sent to Azkaban!"

"Please calm down, Mr. Potter. As of now we have no evidence of wrong doing on the boy's part. I refuse to let the boy be sent to Azkaban just for taking the mark. I am the Headmaster of this school and it is my decision to take. I will not tolerate any further discussions on this matter." Dumbledore stated in a hardened tone.

Harry was furious, but he realized that no good would come out of this discussion. He thought about playing the 'I will leave the school' card again, but realized that he'd be pushing Dumbledore to the edge, something that he wasn't keen on doing. He decided that he'll have to take care of this situation himself.

He excused himself, "Thank you for your time, Headmaster. I'll hand over the portkey to Daphne. Do let me know if something else turns up."

Dumbledore was surprised to see Harry give up so easily, but it didn't show on his face, "I will, Mr. Potter. You may take your leave."

Harry got up from his chair and headed out of the door.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Astoria was asleep by the time Harry reached the Room of Requirements again. He handed Daphne the portkey and then proceeded to tell her about his recent interaction with the Headmaster.

She was shocked when Harry told her about Draco's mission to kill the Headmaster. The whole of Slytherin knew that he'd taken the mark, but this was news for her. She took a couple of moments before speaking, "I don't think it matters really, Potter. You really think that Malfoy can hurt the Headmaster?"

Harry responded, "I don't know, Greengrass. I would rather not take the risk. I know that his plans revolve around this room. We have to just ensure that one of us is in this room at all times. As long as he can't get into the room, whatever plan he had will never come to fruition."

"As if I have a choice in the matter," she said ruefully, "I'll be in here till school ends, whether I like it or not."

"You can use the invisibility cloak to get out once in a while, Daphne" Harry stated. He knew that confinement to any place wasn't easy. He had suffered enough of that at the Dursleys, and he had no intention to let anyone else feel the same way.

He was surprised when Daphne gave him one of her rare smiles in return, "You know, you are not too bad, Potter."

He grinned in response, "Wish I could say the same about you!"

"You… what! Damn you Potter!" Harry started laughing as she tried to smack him.

After a few moments, they settled down in silence. Harry grinned at her and got a death glare in return.

Soon it was time for them to leave for the funeral. Just when they were about to leave, Harry had a sudden brainwave.

He called out, "Dobby!"

An excited house elf dressed in clothes of various colors appeared in the room and started bouncing around happily, "The Great Harry Potter is calling for Dobby. It is Dobby's greatest honor to be summoned by the great Harry Potter himself!"

Both Daphne and Astoria stared at the house elf with a mixture of shock and amusement.

"Dobby, these are Daphne and Astoria Greengrass. Both of you, this is Dobby, former house elf of the Malfoy's and now my friend."

Astoria stayed quiet while Daphne was unsure how to respond. She just said, "Err… good to meet you, Dobby."

Dobby nearly started tearing up, "Harry Potter is calling Dobby his friend. Harry Potter is truly the greatest wizard ever! What can Dobby do for the great Harry Potter?"

Harry was touched by the elf's words. He said, "Dobby, I want you to accompany the Greengrass' here. Stay out of sight and if there's any sign of trouble, then please help them. If you can't, then come and get me."

Dobby nodded his head vigorously, "Dobby will not let any harm come to Harry Potter's Greenies!"

By now, Daphne had realized it was fruitless to argue with Harry's protective nature. She however almost choked when she heard Dobby's refer to her as a Greenie.

Harry started laughing at the look on her face. "Shove it, Potter!" she huffed.

It wasn't long before the portkey activated and took the two Greengrass sisters away, followed closely by a determined Dobby.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The funeral was a solemn affair. It was attended by a few of Daphne's parents' friends and a couple of distant relatives. Daphne spoke about how much her parents meant to her, and that she'd miss them terribly. Astoria was asked to speak, but she didn't have it in her to speak.

Daphne talked to her parents' friends and relatives for a little while, before they started taking their leave one by one.

As the last of them left, Tonks approached Daphne, "Your sister's gone inside the manor to get some stuff. I think we should get going once she comes back."

Daphne was about to nod when she heard a voice from behind which made her blood run cold, "Leaving so soon, little Greengrass? What's the fun in that?"

Both she and Tonks turned around to come face to face with four people wearing Death Eater masks.

"Ow. She's a fine piece, isn't she? No wonder the Dark Lord wants her alive. She can certainly have her… uses." said one of the masked men which led to all of them guffawing. In the laughter, no one heard a small pop next to Daphne.

"Daphne, get behind me." muttered Tonks.

"Did you hear the weird auror? She thinks she can actually defend the girl." This led to further laughter.

Tonks quickly cast a bone breaker curse towards the group, which hit one of the masked men in the leg. He screamed in anger, "Enough! Kill her and get the girl. We've wasted enough time."

There was a loud cry of '_Reducto' _behind them which sent one of them flying in the air. Before they could react, another Blasting Curse had been cast sending another of the masked men crashing.

Both Tonks and Daphne wasted no time as they quickly used the distraction to disarm the two men still standing.

Before the two disarmed men could apparate out, there was a shout of '_Incarcerous'_ from behind them tying both of them together.

They turned their heads toward the source of the spell, to see the Boy Who Lived walking with his wand pointed towards them.

"Potter! How are you here?" One of them growled.

Harry grinned, "A 'saving people thing' is what they call it." This led to laughter from Tonks and even brought a grin to Daphne's face.

After her laughter subsided, Tonks asked, "Wotcher Harry? How are you here?"

Harry just gave her a look which promised that he'll let her know soon and she didn't press the issue.

Tonks then proceeded to remove the masks of all 4 men. She didn't recognize the ones who were knocked out but on removing the masks of the two who were tied up a look of recognition came on her face, "The Lestrange brothers. Whoa, I never really thought I'd see you again after you were broken out of Azkaban."

"Take us in," said one of the brothers in a mocking tone, "The Dark Lord will break us out again. You have no prison strong enough to keep out the Dark Lord!"

Harry was pissed on hearing this. He knew they were right. The Dark Lord would probably break them out and they'd tell him about him helping Greengrass. That would lead to her becoming an even bigger target.

He walked towards Daphne and whispered, "They know too much. How about making them disappear on a more permanent basis?"

Daphne had been thinking the same herself, but was surprised to hear it coming from Harry, "I didn't think you had it in you, Potter. I completely agree. What do you want to do?"

"Just wait and watch."

Harry approached Tonks, "I'm sorry for this, Tonks… _Stupefy_"

The pink haired auror fell to ground, face first. Daphne looked on as he proceeded to stun both the Lestranges as well as the other death eaters who had been knocked out.

He then called out for Dobby and the elf appeared next to him, "Dobby, do you know what is the Atlantic Ocean?"

Dobby nodded, "Yes! Dobby knowing it is even bigger than the Great Lake at Hogwarts!"

Harry couldn't stop the smile coming on his face at the comparison. However, he continued, "These are all terrible people, Dobby. I want you to dump all four of these bodies one by one in the Atlantic Ocean. Can you do that for me?"

Dobby nodded, "Of course Harry Potter sir. Dobby will be doing anything great Harry Potter sir asks!"

Daphne wouldn't admit it, but she was impressed. Harry's method to get rid of them was so simple, but so ruthless and effective at the same time. It was almost Slytherin like.

It didn't take long for Dobby to deposit all the bodies in the ocean. Both Harry and Daphne went up to the manor and found Astoria crying over pictures of her parents in the family albums. She hadn't even heard the commotion outside.

After comforting Astoria for a bit, she pulled Harry aside and asked, "What do we do about the Auror?"

Harry responded, "No need to worry, Greengrass. I've thought about it. I'll leave with Dobby, you obliviate Tonks and it'll be like the attack never happened."

"Again, simple but effective, Potter. I like it. But, using a memory charm on her? You seemed to know each other quite well."

"She's a good friend, but I don't know if I can trust her enough to not mention this to Dumbledore. Besides, what she doesn't know won't hurt her." Harry responded.

With a wave, Harry left with Dobby. Daphne then proceeded with the task given to her by Harry. Once she was done and an obliviated Tonks was standing next to her, she called for Astoria from the manor. Soon both the sisters were escorted back to Hogwarts.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Daphne was surprised to see Harry sitting in the Headmaster's Office. Tonks had left her and Astoria at the gargoyle entrance to the office and taken her leave.

"Greengrass, I hope there were no problems?" Harry asked. When Daphne nodded in the affirmative, he continued, "So like I was telling the Headmaster here, he'll be making an announcement that both you and Astoria have left the school."

Daphne was surprised and showed it, "Why is such an announcement necessary?"

Harry smiled. The girl in front of him would never take anything in her stride without an explanation. He said, "If an announcement is made to such effect, then the last place that Voldemort or his minions would look for you is the school itself! Also, I'm rather hoping that Voldie sends his minions on a wild goose chase or two looking for you."

Daphne couldn't stop the smile from creeping up on her face. The Headmaster was smiling too as even he'd liked the idea.

They soon took their leave from the Headmaster's office, with her and Astoria inside the Invisibility Cloak and Harry walking alongside them ensuring that the path was clear.

They were almost halfway through to the Room of Requirement when someone called out, "Harry, wait!"

It came as no surprise to Harry that the voice was that of one of his supposed best friends, Hermione Granger.

(A/N: I had given up this story for adoption and decided to quit fanfiction, but now I find myself with some free time on my hands… and I'm back baby! I hope you all aren't too disappointed at the thought of me writing again. If I were the reader, I would be!

I would like to clarify my logic behind Harry revealing the prophecy to Daphne in their Lakeside conversation. The way I see it, he's a 16 year old boy who just realized that he had no friends in the world. He's not a trained and highly skilled wizard who is adept at keeping secrets. He was caught in a weak and lonely moment, and told Daphne the prophecy.

Another thing, it was pretty obvious in canon that the significance of the prophecy was drastically reduced in the sixth year. The Daily Prophet was constantly speculating that Harry was the 'Chosen One' to defeat Voldemort, and by telling Daphne the prophecy he just confirmed that.

Thanks for all the reviews in my absence. You all have been wonderful!)


	5. Friendship: The Highs and Lows

Chapter 5

**Friendship: The Highs and Lows**

"_Harry, wait!"_

Harry Potter was stopped in his tracks as he heard the voice of one of his 'supposed' best friends Hermione Granger.

"What's up, Hermione?" He asked, mentally cursing her timing as both the Greengrass sisters were still next to him in the Invisibility Cloak.

Hermione almost ran the distance between them, "Finally! Where have you been, Harry? I haven't seen you in the Common Room since the afternoon."

"I told you I am busy with some work."

"What kind of work?" She asked, her face showing her usual inquisitiveness.

"It's none of your business." He replied, more harshly than he had intended.

When he looked at her, he could clearly see that his rude response had hurt her. She however tried to take it in her stead, "Harry, please I need to talk to you. You said we could talk later…"

Harry cut her off, "What's the hurry, Hermione? I've told you I'm busy. I'll let you know when I'm free. Now for heaven's sake, stop pestering me!"

On hearing this, it took all of Hermione's resolve to stop her eyes from watering up. Before she could say anything else though, Harry continued, "I better get going."

He turned and made his way to the Room of Requirements leaving a speechless Hermione behind.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

From what he'd heard in the Slytherin Common Room, Harry knew that Malfoy wouldn't be trying to access the Room of Requirements before dinner. He still checked the Marauder's Map to be safe and found that the coast was clear.

Before he could open the room though, he heard Daphne whisper from under the cloak, "Potter, wait."

"What?"

"Can you turn the room to anything you want?" She asked.

Harry wasn't really certain about the restrictions, "Err… we can try I guess."

"Tell me how to do it."

Harry explained the rather simple process to her. She took off the Invisibility cloak, and started pacing thinking of the place she wanted the room to become.

After her third round, as expected a door materialized in the wall.

Daphne opened it and walked in, and was soon followed by Astoria and Harry. As Harry stepped into the room and looked around, shock was evident on his face.

He looked towards Daphne and asked, "What place is this?"

Daphne was extremely pleased as the outcome was exactly what she had expected. She then went about checking whether the extra rooms had materialized. To her delight, they had.

Seeing that Daphne was still lost in her own world, Astoria was the one who replied, "This is what our cottage in Spain looks like. It used to be one of our summer retreats."

Before Harry could say anything else though, the younger Greengrass turned and walked into one of the rooms, shutting the door behind her.

"Isn't it brilliant, Potter?" Daphne exclaimed after she had completed her inspection.

"Oh yes, it is! This actually looks like a proper home now, with the rooms and all." Harry responded before adding, "What made you think of this place though?"

Daphne sobered up a bit before replying, "Well… it was just because both me and my sister need our privacy." She stopped for a moment before continuing, "I mean… we are close, but staying in the same room for the next month or so would have been difficult. So I thought that I should perhaps try to replicate a place with more rooms, and this was what came to my mind."

Harry was a little surprised by her reasoning, but nodded his understanding.

Daphne was surprised at herself too. She had never spoken to anyone about her relationship with her sister, but somehow she'd just blurted it out in front of Harry.

Soon, they both moved to the living room of the cottage. Harry flopped himself down on the couch and was soon joined by Daphne.

As Harry sat there, he started thinking about what he had done at Greengrass Manor. It struck him hard that he had actually taken four lives in the evening.

He knew that it wasn't his first time, but he hadn't intended to kill Quirrell. This time though, he had willingly sent four people to their graves. Had he actually fallen to Voldemort's level? Was he a murderer now?

Daphne had noticed the grim expression on Harry's face. She was going to ignore it, but at the same time she wanted to know what had put him in such a pensive mood. She finally asked, "Any problem, Potter?"

Harry was broken out of his stupor by her question. He looked at her and for the faintest of moments saw genuine concern on her face, before it was replaced with her usual mask of indifference. He responded, "I'm not sure we did the right thing, Greengrass. We actually killed four people without even a second thought."

Daphne had been expecting this. She had been surprised when he had decided to get rid of the four Death Eaters. However, now that it was done, she wasn't going to let him beat himself over it, "You're worried about killing people? Well, newsflash Potter! We killed four Death Eaters. They do not have enough humanity inside them to be termed as people."

"But…"

Daphne cut him off, "There is no question of a 'but' being involved in this! Do you even know what a person has to do to get the Dark Mark?"

As she looked at him for a response, Harry saw that her eyes were full of fury. He meekly shook his head.

"They have to kill people! A murder is an initiation ritual for them to join the Dark Lord's forces." She paused for a moment and saw the stunned look on his face before continuing, "Now tell me Potter… Is it wrong to get rid of such scum who don't even deserve to be on the face of the earth? Do you want to sit back and let them commit whatever atrocities they want to? Will that make you happy, just because it's the darned 'right thing to do'?"

Harry was stunned by her tirade. He refused to meet her eye and shook his head. Daphne however wasn't done, "Like it or not, this is war, Potter. These monsters will have to die. And if you are to survive, a lot many of them will die with your wand. Deal with it."

She glared at him, until he finally gathered up the courage to look her in the eyes. He knew she was right. He had been foolish to think that he could possibly end this war without killing the Death Eaters. He just said, "I'm sorry, Greengrass. It was foolish and naïve of me."

She could see that he meant it. To her, that was all that mattered.

Harry Potter was the going to be the focal point of the war, and she was going to ensure that he stood tall at the end of it. It was the least she could do to avenge her parents.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Only a few students were eating the last bites of their dinner when Albus Dumbledore stood up and called the entire Great Hall to attention.

"It is with deep regret that I must announce that both Daphne Greengrass and Astoria Greengrass from the Slytherin House have left Hogwarts. I wish them all the very best in their future and if they ever feel the need to return, Hogwarts would be glad to welcome them home."

Loud chatter broke out in the Great Hall on hearing Dumbledore's announcement. Very few people even knew the Greengrass sisters, but that didn't stop them from discussing the potential reasons for their withdrawal from the school.

Draco Malfoy was pissed. He had been looking forward to getting his revenge on the Greengrass whores after what the younger one had done to him in the Slytherin Common Room.

However, he soon reasoned that wherever they'd fled to, it wouldn't be long before the Dark Lord caught them. And if he finished his task, then the Dark Lord will surely give him his chance to exact his revenge.

It all boiled down to the task he had been given. If he succeeded, he would restore his family's glory in the Dark Lord's ranks. If he succeeded, he would be a member of the Dark Lord's Inner Circle. If he succeeded, he would have all the power that he'd dreamed about.

He'd tried twice, but he'd failed both times. But this time his plan was foolproof. He would soon finish repairs on the vanishing cabinet inside the Room of Requirements. And then it wouldn't be long before the school was swarming with the Dark Lord's followers. The crowning moment would obviously be his as he'll be the one to kill the Headmaster. Albus Dumbledore would die and all his dreams would be fulfilled.

It was time to get back to work. The Room of Requirements awaited him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"How long has it been?" She asked.

"Almost two hours now." He replied, with a wide grin on his face.

Try as hard as she might, Daphne couldn't stop herself from grinning. They'd just finished an excellent dinner courtesy of Dobby. While they had been eating, Draco Malfoy was outside the Room of Requirements. He was apparently making all sorts of attempts to get in, but wasn't able to do so.

"I wish I could see his face right now." Harry smirked, still sporting a grin on his face.

On hearing this, the image of a flustered Malfoy came to Daphne's mind and she burst out laughing. She was soon joined by Harry as they took great joy in the misery of their common enemy.

Once their laughter had subsided, Daphne remarked, "You know something, Potter...You're mean when needed and from what I've seen you're kind of smart too. You would've made a fine Slytherin."

Harry was surprised to hear Daphne praise him. It wasn't really what he was accustomed to in her company. However, he did respond, "I guess it shouldn't be much of a surprise to you then that the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin."

Harry's assumption was wrong, as Daphne was shocked. She spluttered, "W-What? Are you serious? How did you end up in Gryffindor then?"

"Well, I doubt many know this but the Sorting Hat actually takes the student's opinion into consideration. I had met Malfoy a couple of times before the Sorting and I knew that he was a git! So, the last thing I wanted to do was end up in his house. The Hat thankfully listened to me and put me in Gryffindor instead."

To Harry's surprise, Daphne's face saddened at his explanation. After a few moments she commented, "I wish you'd been in Slytherin, Potter. It would've been nice to actually talk with someone whose entire existence didn't revolve around bigotry."

"But… but surely not everyone in Slytherin is a bigot? Surely you must have had some friends?" He asked, with a touch of concern in his voice.

After a few moments, she responded, "Oh yes, you could say that they all are bigots. The boys are generally Death Nibblers. As for the girls, there are only two options really. One is to sleep around with whichever guy asks you to, or the other is to stay aloof from it all. Obviously, I chose to stay aloof. Even when guys tried to approach me, I ensured that they would never ask again. The girls in my house think of me as a frigid bitch, whereas for the male population, I'm the 'Ice Queen'."

Harry was still not entirely convinced, "How can you spend six years in that House and still not have a single friend? Surely, not all the guys and girls hate you?"

Daphne didn't like being vulnerable and open in front of anyone, but she somehow felt good talking about all this to Harry. She replied, "What you have to understand is that Slytherin house is not about friends, Potter. It's just about knowing certain people and figuring out how you can use them. I do know people in Slytherin House and I used to converse with them on a day to day basis. They don't hate me but they are not my friends. There were no emotions involved. None at all."

Harry could sense that she was having a very difficult moment. He scooted over to her side of the couch and put an arm around her shoulders. He was usually a reserved guy, but he could very well understand what Daphne was going through after the conversation he'd heard between his 'supposed' friends. Both of them didn't really have any people in the world who they could actually call friends.

Daphne was surprised when Harry moved closer, but she made no effort to dissuade him. What he said next surprised her all the more, "You know… We can be friends."

She looked at him and her blue eyes met his green ones, "You really think so?" She asked, with the hope in her tone clearly evident.

Harry felt like he would be lost in her eyes. However he managed to compose himself and replied, "Obviously I do. And you know what I'm going to do as my first act as your friend? From now on I'm going to stop calling you by your last name, Daphne."

To his surprise, she turned and hugged him. After a few moments, they broke apart and she said, "I needed this. Thank you… Harry."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The next morning after finishing his breakfast in the Great Hall, Harry was about to head off for his first class of the day when he was confronted by his 'supposed' girlfriend Ginny Weasley.

"Where have you been, Harry James Potter? I spent the whole day looking for you yesterday!"

Harry wasn't in the mood to create a scene in the Great Hall, but a little part of him wanted to see Ginny humiliated in front of the whole school. He responded loudly, "Umm… Let me think. From what I remember, I was shagging Seamus in a broom closet."

There was a loud gasp in the Great Hall on hearing Harry's proclamation. He paused for a moment, enjoying the shocked look on Ginny's face before speaking even louder, "Oh no wait… THAT WAS YOU!"

This was followed by stunned silence. You could have almost heard a pin drop as the entire student body waited for Ginny's reaction.

"Harry, no I didn't. You've got the wrong…"

He cut her off, not really interested in hearing any of her lies, "I know what you did, Weasley. There is no point in pretending anymore."

"Harry, please believe me…" She tried to convince him, but Harry was having none of it. He knew that she would not accept his claims. He did have the best way to prove her guilt though.

"Okay, let's see then. You must have surely heard of magical oaths, Weasley. Would you take a magical oath stating that you had no physical relations with Seamus Finnegan?"

Ginny gasped, as she realized that she'd been caught out. There was no way that she could take such an oath without losing her magic. Her tears started falling freely, as she shook her head.

Harry now had the confirmation he needed, and he took great vindictive pleasure in watching her reputation being ripped to shreds in front of the whole school. "So there you go, that proves it. Now get out of my face before I do something that'll really hurt you, you pathetic whore!"

Ronald Weasley had been watching the confrontation between Harry and his sister in a state of shock. However, when Harry used a derogatory term for her, he leapt to his sister's defense, "Better watch your tongue, Potter!"

As Harry turned around to face his one-time best friend, if looks could have killed then Ronald Weasley would have been dead by now.

He tried to maintain his composure, "If you know what's good for you, you will shut your gob, Ron. I don't want to hurt you, but I won't hesitate in doing so."

The venom in Harry's voice made Ron cower down a bit. However, just as Harry had turned his back and was about to go out of the Great Hall, Ron shouted, "_Reducto!"_

Harry heard the curse, but he didn't have enough time to block the curse. He thought about diving down to dodge it, but he needn't have bothered as Hermione Granger had his back. She had been watching the whole exchange between her friends, and she had cast a Protego shield as soon as she'd realized that Ron was about to curse Harry.

Ron gave Hermione a look of loathing and was about to try and curse her, when Professor McGonagall intervened.

"Enough! Mr. Weasley, fifty points from Gryffindor and a week of detentions for casting spells in the Great Hall with intent to harm a student."

Ron argued, "But professor, he abused my sister!"

McGonagall knew that the abuse was far less than what Ginny Weasley actually deserved. However, she still had rules to follow, "Very well. Mr. Potter, ten points from Gryffindor for abusing a fellow student. Now I'd request you to please leave the hall, before this matter escalates any further."

Harry had proven his point, and he was more than glad to leave. He turned and exited the Great Hall, but to his dismay he was followed by a concerned Hermione.

She soon caught up with him, "Harry, I'm sorry about Ginny…"

Harry knew that Hermione had known about Ginny and had chosen not to tell him. He was in no mood to talk to her, "I don't want your pity, Hermione. Just get lost and leave me alone!" He shouted.

With that he stalked off, not even inclined to give Hermione a second glance.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The next couple of weeks passed very quickly for Harry. Hermione had made a couple more attempts to talk to him, but he'd not given her the time of the day. She'd hurt him, and he was not a person who forgave so easily.

As for Ron and Ginny, he had chosen to completely ignore them. They'd both shoot dirty glares at him whenever he used to see them, but he had decided to not even bother acknowledging their existence.

On the other hand, he was really pleased with how things were going with Daphne. They'd set up a nice little routine which was serving them well so far.

As a peace offering, Dumbledore had decided to give Harry access to both the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts Library as well as his own private library. Harry used to collect the books that looked interesting and then both he and Daphne would go through the books to note down anything worth noting.

They'd started learning a variety of new spells. One of the rooms of the cottage replica had been turned into a practice room in which they used to practice all the new spells they learned.

Dumbledore had assured them that he was still giving it his all to find a way to remove the Horcrux from Harry's head. Although Harry was not really convinced by this, he'd decided to not dwell too much on it.

Harry used to have breakfast and lunch in the Great Hall and then dinner with Daphne in the Room of Requirements. A couple of times even Astoria had joined them, but she preferred to have dinner in her own room.

What Harry truly enjoyed though was his after dinner conversations with Daphne. Having read or practiced spells for the entire day, they used to just lounge around in the living room and talk. Daphne had really opened up to him in the last few days and even he'd reciprocated her gesture.

She'd told him about how she hailed from a non-conventional pureblood family. Although her family was proud of their pureblood status, they still didn't like the customs that it entailed. One of her fond memories of her father was when he'd been approached by someone seeking a marriage contract with Daphne. Her father's reaction had been to curse him and then have him kicked out of the manor.

Her parents had been of the firm opinion that all magical beings deserved their rights, and never supported Voldemort's pureblood propaganda. For the safety of their family though, Daphne's father had chosen to stay neutral in the war. What her father hadn't accounted for though, was that Voldemort didn't even tolerate those who were neutral.

Harry had told her about all his adventures at school. She's heard rumors about some of them, and had scoffed at the people who were spreading them. Needless to say, she was shocked to find that majority of the rumors were true.

Apart from his conversations with Daphne, Harry was also taking great joy in the plight of Draco Malfoy. To his credit, the blonde ponce had still kept up his efforts to get into the Room of Requirements. However, as Harry ensured that there was always someone in there, all his efforts had been futile.

All in all, it had been a good couple of weeks for Harry Potter and that is what made him panic a bit. Whenever life was going well for him, something bad was just around the corner.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hermione Granger was going through the worst phase in her life. A couple of weeks back she'd had the best friend that a person could hope to have, but she'd somehow managed to blow it.

She knew she had been acting very distant with Harry in the past year, but she still couldn't understand the reason behind Harry being so angry with her. She'd analyzed all her interactions with Harry over the last month or so, and nothing had stood out.

Even though she'd behaved badly with him throughout the year, he had still stood by her. So what had changed? She tried to talk to him about it, but he wasn't interested. She kept trying, but he kept on ignoring her.

As a result, she'd become very disillusioned with life. She'd even stopped eating and other than classes, she kept herself restricted to her dorm room.

Due to the lack of eating, her body had become frail and her dorm mates had started to worry about her condition. Both Lavender and Parvati had insisted that she go and see Madam Pomfrey, but she refused.

She kept wishing that Harry would talk to her, and when she recollected her behavior over the past year, the tears would come time and again.

She just wanted one chance to explain herself to him. She just hoped that she got it before it was too late.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"It's a fake. I can't believe we went through all that trouble for a bloody fake Horcrux!" Harry moaned.

Daphne could understand why Harry was frustrated. Both Harry and Dumbledore had just survived a near death encounter, only to later realize that the object they were searching for had already been found by someone else.

She'd been shocked when Harry had appeared in the Room of Requirements with Dobby by his side. She'd helped him settle down, and waited patiently for him to be in the right frame of mind to begin his tale.

He began by telling her about how Dumbledore had summoned him to his office and told him that he'd found a possible location for a Horcrux and that he would like Harry to accompany him. Harry was only too happy to oblige and they'd soon found themselves in a cave. Dumbledore had been left with no option but to drink a vile potion to retrieve the Horcrux, which led to him having a mental breakdown. If that wasn't enough, they'd then had to battle Inferi before making their way out of the cave. Harry somehow managed to side-apparate Dumbledore to Hogsmeade and he'd instantly called for Dobby's help.

Dobby had popped both him and the Headmaster one by one to the Hospital Wing. After explaining what had happened to Madam Pomfrey, he had Dobby pop him over to the Room of Requirements.

Daphne stared at the note Harry had handed to her:

_"To the Dark Lord, _

_I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more. _

_R.A.B"_

For some reason, the initials R.A.B stuck her as familiar. She kept thinking about it, while Harry continued to speak. He was now saying something about how Dumbledore should not trust Snape given his weak condition, but her mind was focused on the initials.

It wasn't long before she proclaimed, "Regulus Arcturus Black! I am willing to bet a million galleons that is R.A.B!"

Harry was stopped in mid-speech by her proclamation. He took a moment or two to think before asking, "You mean Sirius' brother? How do you know that's him?"

She responded with a smirk on her face, "I come from a pureblood family, Potter. My parents didn't care much about customs and traditions, but they did ensure that I knew my history. The Blacks' are one the most prominent pureblood families and Regulus Black was a well known supporter of the Dark Lord. It all just fit too well to be a coincidence."

Harry was impressed. Daphne had just solved his R.A.B dilemma in a matter of minutes. He knew that Dumbledore would have probably known who R.A.B was but the Headmaster was presently in no condition to be questioned.

As he was lost in his thoughts, Daphne remarked, "So now we know that the Horcrux was stolen by Regulus Black. That still doesn't answer the main question though… Where the hell is it?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As he strode towards his Head of House's office, Draco Malfoy knew that he had run out of options. The last couple of weeks had been hell for him!

He had almost made the perfect plan to get rid of Dumbledore, but then the stupid Room of Requirements had sealed itself. He had tried every technique under the sun to get it to open, but he'd been unsuccessful.

Severus Snape was his last resort. He remembered his mother's clear instructions that if he were unable to complete the task given to him, then he had to seek Snape's help.

He didn't like approaching his Head of House at all. The man had asked him numerous times about his plan but he had rebuffed him every single time. Snape would probably be pissed at him, but Draco was helpless. School would end soon and then he would have lost his chance to complete the one task that would make all his dreams come true.

He reached the office and knocked on the door. There was no response. He knocked again, but got the same result.

He found this extremely unusual as from what he knew of Severus Snape, the man barely ever left his office other than for taking his classes.

He started thinking about potential locations where his Head off House might be. Draco had himself just come from the Slytherin Common Room, so that was out of the question. The Infirmary was a possibility as Snape did make frequent trips to the Infirmary to supply necessary potions to Madam Pomfrey. He decided to check it out.

It wasn't long before he found himself at the entrance of the Infirmary and was about to enter, when he heard voices from inside.

"I've given him the necessary antidote Pomfrey, but it will take the Headmaster some time to come out of the effect of the potion. He might need to stay in here for at least three to four days." Snape was speaking.

"Very well, Severus. I'll keep a check on him. You can leave if you wish now." Pomfrey responded.

"I'll be in my quarters. Summon me if anything happens."

With that, Severus Snape strode out of the Infirmary, his robe billowing behind him.

Draco managed to hide himself him the shadows when his Head of House left. He had heard enough for a plan to form inside his head and a maniacal grin to spread on his face.

The fates were finally showing some mercy on him. The Headmaster was weak. This was his chance and he fully intended to take it.

In Draco Malfoy had his way then after tomorrow night, Albus Dumbledore would be no more.

(A/N: I must say that I was overwhelmed by your response to my decision to continue this fic. Thank you so much. I'll try my best to update as regularly as I can.

As always I look forward to hearing from you. Any suggestions about where you'd want this fic to go or any particular element that you want introduced will be most welcome. I cannot assure you of anything but if your suggestion fits in well with the flow of the story then I'll try my level best to incorporate it.)


	6. Reacquainted

Chapter 6

**Reacquainted**

The next morning Harry was in the Gryffindor Common Room and about to leave for breakfast when he was confronted by two worried witches.

"Harry, you need to come with us." said one of them.

To say that Harry was confused would be an understatement. He had no idea what Parvati or Lavender would want with him.

"Why?" He asked.

"We need you to see something important. Just come and ask your questions later, please." Lavender replied, with a touch of annoyance.

Harry had half a mind to tell them that he was busy, but he was also curious to find out what they wanted from him. He finally agreed to accompany them.

They led him to the entrance of their dormitory and Parvati grabbed Harry's hand. However, Harry refused to move ahead, "I'm not climbing those stairs. I know what happens and it's not something that I want to experience."

"Not if you're invited. As long as I hold your hand, you'll be fine." Parvati reassured him.

Harry was still a bit sceptical, but tentatively took one step forward. He was mightily relieved when nothing happened.

He quickly climbed up the remainder of the stairs. Parvati, who still held his hand, dragged him to one of the beds.

"Do you know who's under the covers, Harry?" Lavender asked him.

Harry had figured it out by now. This was all just a ruse so that they could get him to talk to Hermione.

"It's Hermione, isn't it? How did she convince you to trick me into coming here?" Harry asked with anger evident in his voice.

With that he pulled off the covers, inclined to give Hermione a piece of his mind. However, what he saw shocked him.

At first glance, Harry thought she was dead. He managed to pull himself together by taking a deep breath and looked at her more carefully. She was sleeping but her thin and pale form scared him.

"She has not been eating at all for the last few days. Even though she makes it for breakfast every morning, she barely eats anything. As for lunch and dinner, she completely skips those meals." Lavender explained.

Parvati then turned towards Harry and said, "I have noticed that you two haven't been on talking terms lately. But what could possibly be so bad that you let her get into this condition? You're her best friend, Harry."

Harry was too overwhelmed to even speak. The remorse he felt at not noticing Hermione's condition and perhaps being the cause of it led him into a state of despair.

After just staring morosely at her for a few more moments, he finally found his voice, "I didn't notice she wasn't eating. We need to get her to Madam Pomfrey."

"We have been trying to get her to do that for the last few days, but she refuses to even consider it. As you're here now, perhaps she will agree." Parvati responded.

"You want me to wake her up for you?" Lavender asked.

Harry shook his head before speaking, "I'll take care of her now."

Both Lavender and Parvati knew that they weren't needed anymore. They had faith in Harry to do the needful and help Hermione recover. Asking him to take care of her, they both exited their dorm and left for breakfast.

Harry went and sat next to Hermione on her bed. He shook her body a little, "Hermione... Hermione, wake up."

She however didn't wake up and this worried Harry even further. He immediately summoned Dobby and instructed him to take Hermione to the Hospital Wing. Dobby was only too happy to oblige.

As soon as Dobby had popped out with Hermione, Harry got up and headed to the Infirmary too.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"She'll have to stay here for a while, Mr. Potter. I would expect her to regain full fitness in three to four days." Poppy Pomfrey informed Harry.

Harry had expected her to recover sooner. He asked, "Surely there must be a faster way, Madam Pomfrey? You managed to re-grow my bones in a day. This isn't as bad as that."

Pomfrey was surprised by Harry's question as she was accustomed to him accepting her treatment without any queries. She took a moment before responding, "Such cases of starvation are not really common, Mr. Potter. Miss Granger needs to be fed a nutritional potion which I can only administer once a day. Given the duration of her starvation, it's bound to take time."

Harry nodded and accepted her explanation. As he moved to sit on Hermione's bedside, Pomfrey remarked, "The potion will keep her asleep for quite some time, Mr. Potter. I think you should head off to your classes. You can come in and check on her once you're done for the day. She'd be awake by then."

Harry didn't really want to leave Hermione, but he knew it was pointless to stay. He then enquired about Dumbledore's health and on being informed that the Headmaster was still resting, he exited the Infirmary.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Daphne was lying back on the couch and reading when Harry entered the Room of Requirements. She had been expecting to see him as he usually dropped in during Lunch time after eating in the Great Hall.

Harry went and sat on the couch adjacent to the one Daphne was relaxing on. His defeated expression spoke volumes and it didn't take Daphne long to figure out that something was seriously wrong.

"What's the matter, Harry?" She asked, hoping that something bad hadn't happened.

Harry would have generally hesitated but in the last few days he'd really opened up with Daphne. He spilled out all that had happened in the morning. By the time he finished, there were tears in his eyes. He tried to quickly wipe them off, but couldn't control them.

"She almost died and it was all because of me. All because of me..."

"It wasn't your fault, Harry." Daphne tried to reassure him.

However, Harry was having none of it as he shook his head and the tears continued to fall. After a moment's hesitation, Daphne got up from the couch and went and sat next to Harry. She turned him around by the shoulder to face her.

"I meant what I said, Harry. Damn it, it wasn't your fault! The way she treated you this year, any person in your place would have responded in the same manner." She said, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible.

Harry kept on mumbling incoherently as his brain processed what Daphne had said. It took some time for his tears to stop falling.

When she noticed that Harry had calmed down a little, Daphne cupped Harry's face in her palms and made him look up. As her blue eyes met his green, she felt a moment of absolute weakness, unlike anything she'd ever experienced before.

She managed to shake it off before speaking, "You need to relax, Harry. Hermione needs you now. Take care of her and once she wakes up, talk to her and sort this mess out. Can you do that?"

Harry nodded and she smiled at him. Daphne then tried to get up to move to her couch again, but was surprised when Harry grabbed her hand. She turned to look at him before he spoke, "You're a good friend, Daphne. Thank you."

She smiled again and responded, "Anytime, Harry."

After a while Harry realized that he was running late for his post lunch Potions class. Once he had left, Daphne sighed and leaned back on the couch.

She couldn't help but think about the moment when she had looked into Harry's eyes. Never before had she felt as vulnerable as she had at that moment of time.

As she thought about it further, Daphne was perplexed as she was finding it hard to figure out the reason behind her vulnerability.

Only one likely explanation had entered her mind and that was just... stupid!

She couldn't possibly be attracted to Harry Potter.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tonight was the night. Draco Malfoy was finally going to fulfil his Master's orders. Dumbledore being in the Hospital Wing was a really amazing stroke of luck for him. Once he had found that out the previous night, it had taken him only a few hours in the morning to ensure that he came up with a foolproof plan.

Before breakfast he had gone to see Madam Pomfrey with the excuse of needing a headache potion. While she had gone to her cabinet to fetch the potion, Draco had looked around and ensured that Dumbledore was practically defenceless.

Night time would be perfect as he had expected. He would station Crabbe and Goyle outside the Infirmary to take care of any unexpected visitors.

After that it would be a simple task of casting the Killing Curse on Dumbledore and getting the hell out of there.

Once he had disposed of the old man, he would proclaim it to the world. He would be known as the vanquisher of Dumbledore, one of the most feared wizards alive.

Oh yes, life was going to be very good for Draco Malfoy.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Done with classes for the day, Harry decided that he would spend the remainder of the day at Hermione's bedside.

As he walked towards the Infirmary, he really couldn't figure out how things had gotten so messed up. She had been at loggerheads with him over everything. She had accused him of being a cheat due to that damned Potions book. She had dismissed his suspicions about Draco Malfoy, terming him as paranoid and delusional. She had even lied to him about Ginny's activities in broom closets.

The breaking point for him had come when she had told Ron that she didn't expect him to survive the war. He was so used to Hermione being on his side that he had been shocked when he had heard her say that. He knew that she was right and that his chances of surviving the war were miniscule at best. However, that still didn't stop him from hurting. She was his best friend after all. He expected her to support him. She always had.

Try as hard as he might he just couldn't let her go. Even though his head told him to stay away, his heart was still very much in favour of Hermione Granger. He had realized that her condition wasn't exactly his fault, but he still felt terrible seeing her in her weakened state.

His musings were interrupted when he realized that he had reached the Infirmary door. He pushed it open and spotted Madam Pomfrey tending to Dumbledore.

He walked towards her and inquired, "I hope the Headmaster is feeling better, Madam Pomfrey?"

Pomfrey looked up to him and responded, "Not really, Mr. Potter. He did wake up in the afternoon but was still in considerable duress. I had to put him under the influence of a Dreamless Sleep potion as a result. He'll take some time to recover."

Harry had seen the effect that the potion had on Dumbledore and wasn't really surprised.

"Miss Granger is awake now though." Pomfrey continued.

Harry didn't need her to tell him twice. He quickly moved to where he knew Hermione's bed was.

"Harry!" She exclaimed as soon as she spotted him. She tried to get out of her bed but Harry gently pushed her back down and sat on a chair next to the bed.

"Hey Hermione, feeling better I hope?" He asked

"Harry, I'm so sorry..." She began.

Harry interrupted her, "You need your rest, Hermione. We can talk about this later."

"I've been waiting to talk to you for so long, Harry. I don't know if I'll get a chance again. Please..." She pleaded.

Harry was taken aback as a wave of guilt hit him in full force. He knew that he had gone overboard in ignoring her for the past couple of weeks.

"Hermione, I'm sorry too. It was extremely mean of me to ignore you like that..."

It was Hermione's turn to cut him off, "It wasn't your fault, Harry. I am the one who acted like an absolute jerk for the whole year. I am the one who tried to stay away from you and belittled you. I am the one..."

She broke down in tears, unable to continue. Harry held her hand and tried to comfort her, "Ssh... It's all okay now, Hermione. I don't know why you did what you did, but I forgive you. I just want you to get well soon now. I want my best friend back."

He smiled at her and was pleased when he saw that he'd made her tears stop.

"I... I got scared, Harry. I thought I should try to have a normal year without adventures and tried to distance myself from you. I was foolish... so foolish."

"Hermione, I..." Harry tried to interrupt her.

"No, Harry... please let me finish."

Harry sighed and nodded. She continued, "I just want you to know that I'll always be at your side Harry, whether you want me or not. I know I have been the worst friend possible this year, but I will do everything in my power to change that. Just... just don't hate me, please. I don't think I could live..."

Harry didn't let her finish as he got up and hugged her. Hermione was surprised but she gladly hugged him back. This was the first time in six years that he had initiated a hug between them and she couldn't be happier. He had taken her back! She knew that it would probably take a long time for them to regain the same level of trust that they had at the beginning of the school year, but she was willing to work hard to do so.

"I could never hate you, Hermione. God knows I tried to... but I just can't." Harry said, still holding Hermione in his arms. "You mean a lot to me and nothing you do is ever going to change that."

He pulled back and noticed that she was on the verge of tears again. "No more tears please. I'll have to ask Madam Pomfrey for a bucket otherwise!"

Harry grinned when he saw a hint of a smile on her face.

"I... I don't deserve a friend like you, Harry."

"Yes, you do. You deserve better than me, Hermione. "

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

Before Hermione could say, "No, I don't" again, Harry put his finger on her lips and shushed her.

Harry got up from the bed and sat on the chair again. He grinned as a thought popped up in his mind and he said, "You know... you could have at least told me about Ginny. That was rather cruel on your part!"

Hermione missed the playful smirk on Harry's face as she muttered back in response, "I... well... I didn't want to hurt you, Harry. I was so tempted to tell you when I caught her but..."

"Hey, I was just teasing! You don't need to go all defensive on me."

Hermione had been worried and she mock glared at him. She was about to swot him on the arm when she suddenly paused. A small frown appeared on her face as she asked, "I never told you that I knew about Ginny, Harry. How... how did you know?"

The smirk was wiped off Harry's face when he heard her ask the question. The conversation that he'd overheard between Ron and Hermione was still a painful memory. He couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice as he replied, "I heard you and Ron talking the other night... when the git tried to ask you out.

Hermione's hand flew up to her mouth as she recollected her conversation with Ron. "Oh... Oh gosh, Harry." She gasped. "I'm... I... How much did you hear?"

"All of it." He replied.

There were a couple of moments of complete silence. Hermione had wondered what had pushed Harry over the edge and now she knew.

He knew that she'd hidden Ginny's activities from him. He'd heard her tell Ron that he wasn't boyfriend material. He'd heard her tell Ron that she didn't believe in him. He'd heard her tell Ron that she didn't think that he would survive the war.

And yet he was sitting with her, being the best friend that he could be. She really didn't deserve him.

Hermione knew that she had to choose her next words carefully. She could either tell him that it was all just a lie to get rid of Ron or she could tell him the truth. She knew it would probably hurt her but she decided to go with the latter. "Harry, I don't want to lie to you. I could probably tell you that I didn't truly believe in what I said... but I did."

She noticed a pained expression cross Harry's face which made her want to curl up and cry her eyes out. However, she soldiered on, "It was only when I was apart from you that I realized your worth in my life, Harry. You're a truly incredible person. You have faced Voldemort numerous times already and always managed to come out with your head held high. It was stupid on my part to presume that the prophecy was a death sentence. I don't know what came over me. I... I think it was because I was terrified of losing you. As for now, I know it may be hard to believe, but I do have faith in you, Harry. My idiotic logical mind had failed to take into account the most important thing... You're Harry Potter. One way or the other, you always win."

She tried to force a smile on her face, but found that she couldn't. Harry hadn't said a word and his face remained impassive.

Hermione waited patiently for his response, knowing that she'd deserve it if he decided to break their friendship off altogether. She hoped it wouldn't come to that, but knew that it was one of the possibilities.

Harry spoke, "I'm going to be frank with you too, Hermione. I won't pretend that what you said the other day didn't hurt me. It did... it obviously did."

Hermione paled considerably, fearing the worst. Harry continued, "However, I understand what made you say what you said and do what you did. It... It's still a very painful memory for me though and it's going to take some time for me to get past that. All I ask for thus is for us to not mention it again. I want to move on with my life rather than reflect on the past."

"That... That is more than I could ever ask for, Harry. Even I would like a fresh start." Hermione responded, extremely relieved that Harry had managed to look past her indiscretions.

"That's great then. Hi, I'm Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you."

Hermione giggled, "Hi Harry Potter, I'm Hermione Granger. It's really nice to meet you too."

They both laughed and then spent the next couple of hours talking about school in general. Harry decided not to inform her about anything Daphne related. He would wait till she got out of the Infirmary for that. Also, he wouldn't do so unless Daphne approved herself.

He did however admonish her for starving herself. She apologized profusely and promised to never do it again.

When it was time for Harry to leave, Hermione was surprised at how disappointed she was. It had felt good to talk at a stretch to Harry again and it had sure helped heal a lot of wounds that their friendship had suffered. She also knew that some wounds remained, but was sure that they would be gone with time.

Harry bid her farewell and walked out of the Infirmary. When he'd reached outside, he saw Malfoy's two cronies lurking around for no apparent reason.

When Harry looked at them, they quickly looked away thus raising his suspicions. As he walked away, he realized that he was perhaps being a bit too paranoid. However, the idea of Hermione being vulnerable in the Infirmary didn't appeal to him.

He knew what he had to do.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It was past curfew when Draco Malfoy decided to exit the Slytherin Common Room. He'd asked both Crabbe and Goyle to keep a watch over the Infirmary and let him know if there was any sign of trouble. They'd been there since the evening and as they had not reported back to him, he figured that the coast was clear.

As he reached the Infirmary, he looked around and spotted both Crabbe and Goyle trying their best to stay hidden but not exactly succeeding. He thanked his stars that nobody had caught the two buffoons.

After a quick discussion with them, he was extremely pleased when he came to know that even Potter's mudblood was in the Infirmary. This was his perfect chance to kill two birds with one stone. The deaths of the Headmaster and the mudblood would be a near fatal blow to the Light side. The Dark Lord would reward him like no other Death Eater had been rewarded before!

This was his moment.

Draco quickly walked towards the door of the Infirmary. He quickly cast a Silencing Charm of his feet and crept inside. He had feared Madam Pomfrey might be awake, and was relieved that she wasn't

He walked over to the bed which the Headmaster occupied and was delighted to see his sleeping form.

As he withdrew his wand from the holster, he realized that it was a shame really. The greatest wizard the Light side had ever seen was about to die in his sleep.

He pointed his wand at the Headmaster and with a mad glint in his eyes he mouthed, "_Avada..._"

And then his whole world went black.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Harry Potter's Greenie please be waking up!"

Daphne who had been sound asleep woke up with a shock. She was even more surprised to see Dobby standing next to her bed.

"What... What the hell, Dobby? Do you know what time it is? What happened?" She glared at him.

"Bad Malfoy boy be trying to kill Headmaster. Dobby put him to sleep and get him here!" The house elf exclaimed.

Daphne turned and was stunned to see the limp form of Draco Malfoy resting against the wall of her bedroom.

"Dobby now is getting Harry Potter sir here. Till then Harry Potter's Greenie please keep watch on Bad Malfoy boy."

Daphne simply nodded in response and Dobby popped out to fetch Harry. After just watching Malfoy for a couple of seconds she came to her senses and promptly sprung into action.

She took his wand from his hand and cast a quick _Incarcerous_ to tie him up.

It didn't take long for Harry to arrive. Dobby had given him a brief version of the night's events.

He quickly conferred with Daphne and they asked Dobby to explain what exactly had happened.

Dobby responded, "Dobby be guarding Harry Potter's Grangey like the great Harry Potter had instructed him to. Dobby then see Bad Malfoy boy entering the Infirmary. Dobby watches him as he walk to Headmaster's bed. Dobby don't know what to do. Then Dobby notice Bad Malfoy boy trying to cast Killing curse on Headmaster. Dobby left with no option but to use elf magic to put him to sleep and get him here."

Harry got a wide grin on his face as he heard Dobby's explanation. He looked at Daphne who was herself struggling to keep a smile off her face.

"You did well, Dobby. The Headmaster may never know but you saved his life. Thank you." Harry said.

"Harry Potter sir not needing to be thanking Dobby. Dobby being very proud to be helping Harry Potter sir and be saving Headmaster's life!"

Daphne smiled at the excited elf's declaration. She turned to Harry and said, "Dobby's good work deserves a reward, Harry. Don't you think?"

Harry happily accepted, "Obviously it does, Daphne." He turned towards Dobby and asked, "What do you want, Dobby? Anything you want which I can procure within my means will be yours. You just need to ask."

The little elf was about to refuse the reward but then suddenly fell silent. A couple of quiet moment later, Dobby asked, "Dobby being asking for too much, but it being a dream of Dobby. Dobby wanting to complete house elf bond with Harry Potter sir. Of course Harry Potter sir need not be paying Dobby but Dobby being happiest house elf in world if Harry Potter sir be bonding with him!"

Harry didn't even need to think twice, "If it means so much to you Dobby, I'll happily bond with you. However, I do insist on paying you."

Dobby jumped with joy as tears came into his eyes, "Harry Potter sir being the greatest and kindest wizard ever. Dobby not wanting payment but accepts as Harry Potter sir insists. Dobby now be starting the bonding."

Daphne watched in awe as a golden glow surrounded both Harry and Dobby signifying the completion of the bond.

Once the bond was completed, Daphne asked, "What do you want to do about the blonde ponce, Harry?"

Harry grinned, "First things first... _Enervate!_" He cast pointing his wand at Malfoy.

Malfoy woke up and was surprised to find that he couldn't move. He tried to struggle against his bonds but his efforts were futile.

He then looked up and was shocked to see his arch nemesis standing in front of him. "Potter!" He spat out.

"Potter's not the only one here, Malfoy." Daphne said as she came into Malfoy's view.

Malfoy couldn't believe it. This was probably worse than his worst nightmare. He had not only failed to kill Dumbledore but he had also been captured and was now at the mercy of both Potter and Greengrass.

"What the hell are you doing here, you w..."

He didn't get to complete his statement as he was smacked hard across the face by Harry.

"Don't even for one moment think that you're in control here, Malfoy." Harry stated.

The expression on Harry's face made Malfoy cower a little but he tried to put on a brave front, "The Dark Lord will hear about this. He will kill you... He will kill you both!"

Harry smirked, "You and your empty threats, Malfoy. I have had enough of them." He then turned to Daphne and asked, "You remember what he said to you in your Common Room the other day?"

Daphne nodded, well aware of what Harry was referring to. Harry's smirk grew wider as he said, "Well then... I think a bit of revenge is in order."

Daphne grinned as she stepped up. Malfoy's eyes grew wide with fear as she raised her wand and cast.

Draco howled in pain as he realized what she had cast. She had actually gone ahead and castrated him.

Daphne was pleased to see that Harry was howling with laughter. She went up to him and whispered in his ear, "A bit of mental torture now. Do you mind?"

Harry obviously didn't mind. He was looking forward to what Daphne had planned next.

Daphne turned towards Malfoy who was still sobbing on the floor. "I want you to see something, Malfoy. It's something you've wanted ever since our first year. It's something that you'd never ever get."

Even through his pain, Draco managed to look up.

Daphne grinned, turned around, walked towards Harry and before he could say anything... She kissed him.

Draco let out a strangled cry. Potter had got the girl he had wanted for so long and he couldn't even do anything about it.

Harry didn't pay any heed to Malfoy's cry as he was transported to a completely different world in which only he and an extremely attractive witch existed.

Daphne was in seventh heaven as she felt Harry kiss her back. This was her first kiss and it was everything that she'd dreamed it would be. Her spur of the moment plan to kiss Harry had worked wonders. If he hadn't kissed her back, she could have always said that she only did it to make Malfoy suffer. It was a near perfect plan.

She pulled back from the kiss reluctantly and grinned at the dazed look on Harry's face.

She then turned towards Draco, stunned him and told Dobby to deposit his bound body in the Atlantic Ocean. It was highly ironic in a way that he would end up suffering the same fate that he had planned for Albus Dumbledore. Draco Malfoy would soon be dead and nobody would ever know who did it.

Harry just looked on quietly as Daphne got rid of Malfoy once and for all. He wanted to help her but he was still in a state of shock. Daphne Greengrass had just kissed him and he had no idea why she had done so. What he did know though, was that it had felt really good.

He didn't know what possessed him, but as soon as Daphne turned to face him he crashed his lips into hers again.

Daphne was only too happy to kiss him back.

(A/N: First of all, I must apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. Hope you liked it though!

I'm sure that the Harry/Daphne shippers would have enjoyed the end of this chapter. It also felt good to get Hermione back in the fold. I really like her character.

Thanks for the reading and reviewing!)


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